Deception
by apollo'sinspiration
Summary: Deception was their downfall. Zutara.
1. A Wise Sugestion

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the show. At all. Hear that? I don't own the Avatar! No need to rub it in!

Aang, Katara and Sokka are in Omashu, and they need a Firebending Master. Zuko is still after the Avatar, and Ozai wants to finish this war. By a series of elaborate deceptions, there will be triumph, but for who?

So: This will be a Zutara fic. Dances That couple makes me so happy.. I don't know how long it will take for me to start it up (the romance, I mean,) but I will, I promise you.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Having mastered Airbending, Waterbending, and Earthbending, the young Avatar had yet one more monumental task before him. It was early summer, and he still hadn't found a firebending master to teach him. Of course, one doesn't exactly find master firebenders by living in the Earth Kingdom capital, but all three of the trio were hesitant to leave for one reason or another. All of them seemed to be dreading the unavoidable departure, because leaving meant that they had to venture out and chase after firebenders, for a change. Jeong Jeong had long since disappeared, and Aang was reluctant to try and teach himself the temperamental element because of the previous experience he had gone through. Her terrified face was a constant reminder to him whenever he saw fire- he wasn't all too eager to begin mastering the element, even though the world's fate might hinge upon it. So, there the boy sat, slumped against the dusty wall of the Earth Kingdom Palace. Staring at the ground, he wondered how much longer they could possibly put off leaving, for Summer was taking a strong hold. He shifted uncomfortably, brushing stray dust of his tunic, and trailing his fingers in the dirt that surrounded him, and soon settled with his arms crossed and resting on his drawn-up knees. Gazing pensively into space, Katara's presence went completely unnoticed to him, and he continued sighing and staring, until she decided to make her presence known with a loud "Ahem!"

"Something's bothering you Aang, what is it?"

"I don't know if I'm ready to master firebending yet.."

"Why not? You're the Avatar, Aang! You've just mastered Waterbending AND Earthbending in the span of a few short months! Of course you can handle firebending!" She said in a light voice, trying to cheer him up.

"But remember what Jeong Jeong said? If you can't control fire, it will destroy everything. I couldn't control it, I burned you!" Aang quietly replied.

Katara looked into his gray eyes, seeing the genuine anxiety and doubt he felt. "Aang, you have much better control now- you can't worry over something that happened a long time ago. You are the Avatar, and mastering Firebending is part of your job. I know that you are more than capable of doing this!"

Talking to Aang, and trying to cheer him up was mainly what she did these days, along with practicing her Waterbending. Sokka was off who-knows-where, flirting with any girl who so much as looked at him, and training to become a better warrior. As much as she enjoyed poking fun at his abilities, he had improved drastically. Of course, there had been boys who looked at her too, but she still felt a little wary of all of them after her experience with Jet. As a result, she came off as rather cold to any boy who so much as asked her the time of day; but it wasn't for her to worry about. She could practice Waterbending as much as she wanted, and of course there was always Aang to hang out with, when he wasn't training to be the Avatar. Their lives had been quiet, and undisturbed, which was exactly what Katara found extremely unnerving. She had gotten so used to being constantly pursued by Prince Zuko and his portly uncle, that she found the absence of their attacks strange and unfamiliar. It was almost worse; because at least before she knew what to expect. Now, they could appear at any time, and so she kept her guard up. Perhaps this was unnecessary, considering the tight security of Omashu, but being alert was better than being captured or, dead. She knew they'd be discovered in Omashu eventually, and she would be ready. Oh, would she be ready.

"I guess you're right, Katara." Aang airbended himself off the ground into a standing position, flinging dust all over Katara in the process. "Let's go have something to eat, I'm starving."

Brushing herself off and mumbling to herself about Airbenders, she and Aang walked into the Palace.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Perhaps we should try searching for him in Omashu, Prince Zuko." Iroh suggested to his nephew as he sipped his Ginseng tea noisily, and pausing momentarily to catch his breath.

"No, Uncle!" The prince snapped angrily. "It's too obvious, he would never hide there, that city attracts way to much attention. He'll be in a small, rural earthbending town, hiding in a peasants hut, and we are going to find him."

"If you insist. Although, I must admit I am rather tired of traipsing through the country all the time. Just think of the comforts that a big city would have.."

The Prince growled incoherently at his Uncle, and continued walking. They would find the Avatar, and they would do it his way. Of course, his way was taking a little longer than he'd expected. They had searched town after town in rural areas, demanding if the Avatar had been seen (well, Zuko did the demanding part,) with no success. Perhaps his uncle was right? The thought tortured Zuko for the rest of their brisk walk, because, after all, he hadn't seen the Avatar since the North Pole. He cursed himself for failing to capture the Avatar for the thousandth time that week, and grew angrier still. Was he doomed to failure?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review... and for those of you who aren't a member of the site, that's okay. Just click the 'submit review' button in the bottom left of your page, it can be anonymous:) Review please..


	2. Where To Look

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar, but oh, if I did...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2: The Council of Omashu

Aang shifted uneasily is his seat, glancing down at the floor and around the high ceilinged room. Katara and Sokka sat quietly on either side of him, all three facing King Bumi, who looked at them with a slightly insane expression he so frequently wore. The meeting had been arranged to address the issue that now faced the young Avatar: learning Firebending.

"Now, young Avatar, I know you have come to me for wisdom and advice as to where you can learn your Firebending. However, I regret telling you that I do not know any Firebenders that I am on friendly terms with, who will teach you what you seek to know. I cannot give you the name of a place to search, or a name of someone who might be able to help you. All I can tell you, Aang, is that you might find what you are looking for in the least likely of places. Look at the world from a different perspective once in a while, it can work wonders!" Bumi sat with an etched grin on his weathered face, waiting for a response. His advice was greeted by silence, and he then then bowed and excused himself from the room. Sokka sat with one eyebrow raised, a critical expression painted on his face.

"That's it, that's all the King of Omashu can do? Tell us to look in unlikely places! What does he mean, we should go search the Water Tribes or something?" Aang ignored the elder teen, and sat with his knees tucked up, staring intently at a speck of dirt on the table. Katara, on the other hand, was trying to make sense of the King's words as well.

"I think what King Bumi means is we shouldn't just look in an obvious place, like the Fire Nation."

"That doesn't help us a whole lot, Katara! That basically leaves the rest of the world to search in order find a willing Firebender, and we're kind of on a time limit!

"I know that! We just have to figure out where to look first, and do it. We've got to begin somewhere!" She retorted, as she grew more frustrated with her brother. He could be so difficult sometimes. He had grown increasingly irritable since they had left the North Pole, with no explanation on his part. He had always been somewhat of a thick headed pig (in her opinion), but things were getting ridiculous.

"Well Katara, since you seem to know so much about what King Bumi was talking about, why don't you tell us where we should galavant off to first, O wise one!"

"GUYS!" Aang finally snapped out of his trance and held his hands up between the bickering siblings. "Fighting isn't going to solve anything, what we need now more than ever is cooperation from everyone! I don't know where we should start either, but I agree with Katara; we have to just pick a place and begin."

Katara gave her brother an "I told you" look, and crossed her arms triumphantly. "We should pick a place and get going in the morning. We certainly can't expect a Firebender to just walk into Omashu."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Uncle, remove that hat at once, you look ridiculous." Zuko whispered hoarsely as Iroh fondly patted the wide-brimmed hat on his gray head.

"Ah, I used to wear this hat when I was young. It was quite fashionable in my day.." He said with a touch of nostalgia.

"Well it certainly isn't fashionable anymore! I know we need to be in disguise when we enter Omashu, but that hat will draw more attention than we can afford." Zuko meanwhile, pulled on a gray travelers cloak, and pulled the hood up around his face. Iroh sadly took off the hat and pulled up his hood as well. The two firebenders wore all gray and green, with no trace of firenation clothing on them, so they wouldn't be recognized in Omashu, which the Prince had finally consented to search. Iroh had worn Zuko's resolve down with continuous comments, and as they weren't far from Omashu, Zuko gave in.

"If he isn't here, Uncle..." Zuko said with a slight trace of menace in his voice (as much as he would risk using to his uncle) as the two set out walking towards the city.

"I have a feeling he will be, Prince Zuko. Trust me. Do you have a plan?"

Zuko stopped walking. He knew he had been forgetting something..

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in their own room, brother and sister were mulling over what the King had said. "Where can we possibly find a Firebending Master who's willing to teach Aang?" Katara asked as she put her head in her hands resignedly and sighed. Sokka stood calmly in the doorway, leaning leisurely against it and offering no real help at all.

"I don't know Katara, I don't know. I'm going to go out to practice my training, we can figure this out later." Sokka took up his boomerang and walked out, ignoring his sister's protests.

Katara, left alone in the room, got up from her chair and collapsed on the bed. Bright sunlight shone through the window, telling her it wasn't even midday yet. For a few minutes she lay still with her eyes closed and eyebrows knit together, thinking hard about the King's words. Then, it hit her like a sack of papayas in the head.

AUNT WU!

Flying up from the bed, she tore through the hallways of the palace, yelling for Aang. Breathless, and her hair in a complete mess, she finally found him at the lower stables with Appa and Momo.

"Aang.." she managed to say as she gasped for breath. "We can ask Aunt Wu where to look for a Master!"

Aang knew how much Katara believed in Aunt Wu, and although it seemed like a good idea, he remained doubtful.

"I don't know, Katara."

"But she was right about everything!" She knew it was a good idea. In fact, it was their only idea so far, and it would have to do. Aang thought for a moment, and apparently realized this as well; and he consented.

"Tomorrow morning we can leave for her village."

Katara nodded and then left him to go buy food and supplies for their journey. Aang meanwhile, leaned against the stable wall and patted Appa's rough fur. Sensing the boy's troubled feelings, Appa let out a giant groan and licked him, leaving Aang covered in Bison spit. A smile leapt across Aang's face and he hugged the bison, though his spread arms only covered a small part of the bison's enormous body. Aang made a mental note to himself that he would have to remain positive, no matter the circumstances. He was the Avatar, and he knew the people turned to him for hope.

Katara walked in contemplative silence to the food market, slowly placing one foot in front of the other, her mind doing walking of it's own. Hazily, she examined fruits and vegetables, paying for and collecting them mechanically; and in her daze she forgot to wave to the cabbage man. Early summer surrounded her, a constant reminder of the time passing before them. So much they had been through, to get to this point. Aang mastered Waterbending fairly quickly, and then Earthbending with almost as much ease. Now the question that no one could answer hung tentatively about them: would Aang be able to master Firebending in time to defeat the Fire Nation before Souzen's comet arrived? It was the quiet fear that gripped them all lately, though it was rarely discussed. The Four Nations' existence depended upon Aang, when you boiled it all down. It depended on all three of them, in a sense. When Katara had set out from the only home she'd known, she could never have comprehended the things that would come to pass. Ever since she had met Aang, the world had become her first priority. No more thinking of herself; no, now the world and Aang came first. Oh, how she wished she could see her father again. A small part of her wished that she and Sokka had taken that map from Aang long ago and found their father. _Snap out of it! _ She told herself. _This is no time to be selfish, especially not now, no, not now. _ Dutifully, she packed up the food and supplies, readying them for the next day, and stole quietly away to practice her bending.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"State your name and business." The burly earthbender guard barked in a rough voice. Having the Avatar in the city meant tough security, and he wasn't about to let his King and city down. He would be tough. He eyed the two travelers warily, narrowing his gaze into what he hoped looked like an intimidating face.

"My name is Kiro and this is my Grandson, Tarin." Iroh said smoothly, cutting off the Prince before he could speak.

"What is your business in Omashu?"

"I have heard that Omashu is highly praised for it's tea, and I wish to do a little shopping, as well as visit some friends whom I have not seen in quite a while."

Giving the two one last scrutinizing look, the guard nodded to the five others who earthbended the gates open for them. As Zuko passed through, a malicious smirk spread on his face. There, at the stables, was the bison the Avatar always escaped on. They were here. Zuko was about to go attack it, but his uncle held him back.

"Prince Zuko! Think about what you are doing! If we attack in broad daylight, we will be caught! We must wait until night time, when they are unsuspecting. The best thing we can do now, is stay out of sight and wait until nightfall."

Waiting. There was always more waiting. He had been waiting for over two years, and it seemed as though it was never the right time for him. The prince stood stiffly, his feet pressing against the ground, and he willed himself to listen to his uncle.

"Until nightfall, then." The Prince growled, and didn't protest as his uncle dragged him into a tea shop.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Deep blue invaded the sky, as night wrapped its arms around the city. Stars were quite visible in the dark, and sweet air breezed through the streets. Katara breathed in deeply, letting the cold air refresh her. Aang, Sokka and Katara sat on the balcony outside their room, taking in the sight of the city before they departed in the morning. The cool night took the edge off of all of their sour moods they had been in earlier in the day; and they stood in quiet content. Meanwhile, Zuko shivered on a street somewhere below them. He had always hated the cold.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: For those of you awesome people who reviewed, thank you kindly! Well, I hope you enjoyed it. If you didn't, I sure did! Writing is fun, even if you're not good at it!

Now, tell me what you think & review..


	3. Watch Your Step

revised

Disclaimer: Still don't own The Avatar.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A thin crescent moon shone palely through the open window where Momo sat, purring gently in his sleep. Aang lay curled on his side, one arm dangling, Sokka was sprawled out snoring, and Katara snuggled herself under the covers of a bed she would miss. They all slept in the same room out of habit; as they had grown accustomed to being together at night. Granted, in was a rather large room, but one room nonetheless. Zuko was grateful to them for this- it would make his job much easier, like shooting three rabbits with one arrow. Carefully he crept into the room, catlike and silent. In his hand he held a bag of mixed herbs, that when inhaled, rendered the victim unconscious for a few hours. He made a mental note to himself to thank his uncle for his extensive knowledge of herbs. Zuko held up the bag in front of the Avatar's nose, and Aang breathed in blissful ignorance, and was soon completely lost to the world. Zuko then approached Sokka's bed, and wrinkled his nose in disgust at the drool which dribbled out of Sokka's mouth. Extending his arm towards the slumbering boy, he waved the little parcel in front of Sokka's mouth and nose. Smiling at the ease of it all, he approached the third bed which contained Katara.

-Crunch-.

Shit. What had he just stepped on? Quickly he glanced at Katara to see her still asleep, and he exhaled in relief. He stood still for a minute, staring hard at the ground to make sure nothing else was there for him to step on. As Zuko scoured the floor, Momo, who had heard the crunch (which was Leechy nut shells) opened one eye. Now Momo was no genius, but he could recognize the Prince as an enemy, mostly by his scent. He leapt up, twirring and squeaking furiously. Launching himself onto Zuko's face, he began to paw him relentlessly. Katara woke up in a start, and stared in shock and horror at the dark figure being attacked by Momo. The deep resound of his cursing voice allowed her to recognize him immediately: Zuko. Nearly falling out of her bed, she grasped the extra-large water skin she always kept near her at night, and turned to face the furious prince just as he managed to extricate the lemur from his ponytail. Her heart raced, and she wondered why Aang and Sokka hadn't woken up.

"What did you do to them!" She spat, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible. She would not show weakness.

"Oh, nothing they can't recover from.." He drawled, enjoying her fear.

She knit her brows together in concentration as she began attacking him, weaving water around in the air with grace and ease that came with constant practice. She had become quite the Waterbender. However, she was not the only one who had been practicing. Zuko had finally begun to listen to his uncle, and as a result, had progressed mightily. Flashes of fire lit the room; smoke, steam and sweat filled the air as the two fought against each other with force and passion. It seemed like hours passed, time slowly marching along. Why wouldn't Aang and Sokka wake up? Why hadn't someone heard the racket and come to her aid? Bending takes concentration, something Katara was lacking at the moment, due to her panicked worry over the boys. Why wouldn't they move?

Zuko recognized that Katara was a bit preoccupied in her thoughts, and took full advantage of it. He unleashed stream after stream of fire, forcing her to the defensive. She stumbled backwards, crashing into the earthen wall behind her. Briefly, she just stopped. Leaning on the wall for support, she prayed silently to the Gods to give her strength. She glared at Zuko, and he began walking slowly towards her, fists clenched, but not flaming. As he drew nearer, she shrunk away, her palms pressed flat against the wall, and turned her head away. How could she get out of this? Zuko stood merely inches away from her; she could tell because his body heat radiated from him like he was fire itself.

"You could just give up, you know." He whispered in her ear.

"Never!" She whispered back as she drew up a wall of water with amazing speed.

As quickly as she created the wave, she crashed it over the prince's head, knocking him backwards. Zuko smacked the floor with his face, scratching it up considerably; but he fell on something besides the floor. What was it? A jug, of some sort? He wrapped his fingers around the handle and stood up lightning fast, to see Katara ready to pounce again. With quick precision he hit her hard on the head with the jug, knocking her out. The water she had bending splashed to the floor, wetting his shoes. Knowing fully that someone must have heard that racket, he bound Aang, and flung him heavily over his shoulder, then quickly ran out of the room and found his uncle waiting on the street below, a set smile on his face.

"Well, Prince Zuko, you finally have the Avatar. I hope you are satisfied now." The wise old man said quietly.

"As a matter of fact, Uncle, I am." Zuko whispered.

"Well, I guess we should be going then." Iroh glanced at the city once more; he would miss the tea, to be certain. Quietly as they could, Zuko and Iroh walked towards the limits of the city, and only realized something once they had reached its edge.

Panic seized the Prince's voice. "Uncle, when we first entered the city, the guards had to Earthbend the gate open." He paused, cursing himself for being so incredibly stupid. Silence gripped them both, as another wave of failure waited to crash over the Prince. Finally, he asked in quiet uncertainty, "How are we going to get out?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He heard cursing and shouting, but very faint. Tiko pinched himself awake, shaking his brawny limbs and yawning. He was one of ten guards on duty that night, and he seemed to be the only one awake at the present moment. The noise sounded like it was coming from the other end of the palace; but, perhaps it was nothing. He listened carefully into the night, hearing only the chirp of various nocturnal insects. But Tiko was a dutiful guard, and he decided to go check on things anyway. He walked through the hallways of the still palace, and finally arrived at the other end. Stopping, he listened again: nothing. In a stroke of genius not usually attributed to Omashuian guards, he decided to check on the Avatar, even though everything appeared to be in order. When he reached the room, he poked his head into the doorway, and gasped. Katara lay on the floor in a puddle of what appeared to be blood and water mixed, her brother unconscious, and the Avatar gone! Tiko rushed to the balcony overlooking the streets, and saw two figures in the dark, heading towards the gate. Quickly, he pulled himself together and went to alert the other guards on post.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko and Iroh heard shouting, and knew that the Avatar had been missed. He had failed, yet again.

"No.."

"What, Prince Zuko?"

"No. I will not be a failure!" He shouted angrily. Zuko threw Aang to the ground, and turned to see Earthbender guards rushing towards him.

They fought with skill and fury, but ten to two was too much. Zuko made sure he left his mark, though. A few guards would wear glaring red scars as a reminder for the rest of their lives.

"The Prison will be well filled tonight!" One guard guffawed, and laughed mockingly at an angry Zuko struggling to free himself. His hands were bound with metal, along with his feet, and legs..

"Fire Nation Royalty locked up in our _humble _cells.. what a pleasure!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N:

(You would think that the guards would have realized something was going down sooner, but they aren't the smartest kids in the class, tho they are excellent benders.)

OooO. Zuko isn't gonna take his failure wellllllll.. and, (sings excitedly) Zuko and Katara will be interacting more in the next chapter.. I think. Either chap.4 or 5, that is.

Whew, I am having so much fun with this! But for those of you who are following this story, I won't be updating so quickly once the long weekend is over. School, ya know. I also might be going back and revising chapters as I go along.

But, for the present, enjoy, and while you enjoy, review!

And if you have suggestions, tell me!


	4. Death and Compromise

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning came quickly upon the young friends, all whom had recovered from their injuries of the previous night. Crisp yellow sunlight spilled gently into the room, invading the eyes of the sleepers as they slowly woke up. Stirring in their beds, a knock on the door disturbed their gentle peace. A tall palace Advisor slowly glided into their room, hesitating momentarily; and after a moment of confused silence, he began speaking in a stern voice.

"Young Avatar, Katara and Sokka of the Water Tribes; I'm afraid I have grave news I must burden you with." He looked at Aang. "You and King Bumi were good friends many years ago, were you not?" He asked while adjusting his shirt sleeves.

Aang nodded, and only grew more confused. What was all this about? Katara and Sokka exchanged glances, neither of them having any clue as to what was going on. Had Zuko escaped?

"I am sorry to say that, the King was found dead this morning. He died in his sleep, of old age." The sharpness of his voice surprised the three, and they could do nothing but stare in awkward silence. Seeing he wasn't going to get a word from anyone, the advisor bowed, and quickly took his leave. Katara remained sitting on her bed, propped up by her hands, and was staring at Aang; who had a sad, but serious look on his face. After a few minutes, the young boy sighed, and hastily pulled himself up from his bed, and turned to look at Katara.

"I'm going out." Aang said simply as he picked up his staff from the side of his bed, and quietly slipped out of the room.

"D'you think we should go talk to him?" Katara looked over and asked her brother.

"No, I think we should leave him a lone for a little while. We can talk to him later."

Laying back on the bed, Katara started up at the ceiling, finding patterns in the cracks. Why do things have to be so hard for him? She thought. He loses everyone he loves, and on top of it all, handles it better than Sokka or I ever could. She then began thinking of her father again, and how she didn't think she would be able to bear it if she lost him.

After Aang walked out the door of his room, he headed directly to the stables. Once outside, he jumped onto his glider and soared through the still air and upon reaching the stables, alighted on the ground. Ignoring Appa, he airbended himself up into the loft where hay was kept, and he settled himself down on a bundle. 100 years ago, peace was taken for granted, he thought. All four nations existed in a simple harmony that had not been broken for hundreds of years, why should he have expected any different? Oh, how times had changed. The state of the world came crashing down when the Fire Nation began it's quest for domination, destroying alliances that had been in existence for the longest of times. Things now were in no better a state. If one wrong step was taken, the war that had been raging for so long might finally turn in favor of the Fire Nation. All the lives that had been lost in defense of cities during those hundred years would be in vain. The Fire Nation had conquered countless territories, this much was true; but not all is tangible enough to be taken. Hope, was the one thing the Fire Nation could not conquer. He was the hope. Despite all this, he was still filled by innocence; but innocence that was being weathered away slowly and carefully by the present times, by all the wise men that turned to him and again told him how important he was to the world. Like he didn't already know. Living in Omashu for the past two months with King Bumi was probably the best thing to happen to him in such times. He knew Bumi, and things never got too serious when the King was around. In a funny way, Bumi reminded him of monk Gyatso, and the death of King Bumi was almost like losing his precious mentor all over again. Things just couldn't be easy, could they? But then, things were never easy, not even before he was frozen in the iceberg. It was just the way things were meant to be, he guessed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That afternoon, the funeral of the King of Omashu began. There was much sobbing in the streets, Aang noticed as he walked the city. Fathers and mothers clung to one another, mourning the death of their King. Guards wore solemn faces, eyes lowered and shoulders slumping. Small children asked their mothers why everyone was so sad, and they were explained to with much difficulty, that King Bumi was dead.

"What does dead mean, Momma?" A very young girl asked, tugging her mother's arm impatiently.

"It means that someone goes into a kind of sleep that lasts forever, they enter the spirit world, moving on from this world."

"Like where Daddy went, you mean?"

"Yes."

These were the words that engulfed Aang's ears. He barely saw the colors that flashed around him, the sad music playing, or the carriage carrying Bumi himself. Yellow, purple, brown and green flowers graced the palace and streets, giving off the feeling of a wedding, instead of a funeral; but King Bumi had always wanted things done differently. He preferred to be remembered in bright 'cheerful' colors, as he had always said. Death was only the next step, after all. As a result, it was a splendid funeral, his casket lined with the finest (and most 'original') cloth that could be purchased in the city. Everyone in Omashu packed the streets for a last goodbye to their honored King. No send off had ever been finer; but nothing had ever been harder for Aang. Having the last person that reminded you of your old life die, strikes a rather hard blow. Yes, he had Sokka and Katara, but they were not the companions he had when he was young. But he was thirteen, he was the Avatar. He would not cry, he told himself when his lip began to quiver.

"Aang?"

He tried to snap himself out of it, and succeeded well enough to appear as though he was fine.

"Yea, Katara?"

"How are you feeling?" Katara had been feeling pretty concerned about Aang all day, as they had not seen him until the funeral began. She hoped he wasn't taking the King's death too hard.

What kind of question is that? "I'm fine, you know me. I'm fine, really, Katara." He answered as she looked at him kindly, and he spoke as cheerfully as he could.

"All right, I was just making sure." She wasn't convinced of his act, and watched him as the service ended and they walked back to the Palace. It was too beautiful to stay cooped up inside, so they decided to stay out a little longer.

Evening fell, gracing the city with quiet. Out of respect, many shops had closed early, and everyone was at home with their families, just being together. Katara, Sokka, and Aang sat outside, next to a fountain in the courtyard. The water was soothing to all of them, and just sitting together in silence meant something. The three together had overcome many obstacles, and had grown together. They squabbled and fought just as any band of three teenagers might, but more importantly, they got over their differences. The bond between the three of them was unbreakable, some would say. Others countered that their alliance would not last long, and that the fate of the world was doomed because of them. What those people didn't know, was the three had been tested already by temptation. Sokka and Katara had very nearly left Aang in pursuit of their father, but they had turned back. That was why they would last. However, Sokka, in the past few months, had been drifting away bit by bit, and no one really knew why; but King Bumi's death somehow snapped Sokka back to himself. It was lucky that he did, for they would need each other later on, to remind each other what they were fighting for. As they sat, Katara gently trailed her fingers in the cool water, bending small streams of it around in the air once in a while, as Aang sat in silence, and Sokka lay flat on his back, gazing at the sky. At the moment, they didn't have to be anywhere, doing anything, they could just exist; which was nice for a change. Then, for the second time that day, their peace was interrupted by a Palace messenger.

"There is a meeting which you are all required to attend; if you will follow me, please." The messenger bowed, and the three reluctantly got up to follow him. They entered a large room and saw a crowd, and a man about to speak.

"Ahem!" A medium sized, mustached man stood in front of the King's throne, waiting impatiently for quiet. His appearance suggested he was middle aged, and very bitter; you could tell just by looking at his face that he rarely smiled. Katara, Sokka and Aang stood in the small crowd, staring critically at him.

"I'll bet that whatever this guy has to say, we're not going to like!" Sokka whispered to his sister, who stood quietly in the crowd, and acknowledged her brother with an absentminded nod.

"I think you're right, Sokka. I don't like the looks of that guy." Aang replied softly, as he stared intently at the man.

"If you all would please be silent for a moment, I have an announcement." General Kado (as was his name) said as he cleared his throat once again. Finally, there was quiet.

"Now, as everyone knows, the King did not leave an heir to the throne, and so as I am his last remaining relative, the throne will be passed to me, his nephew." Katara gasped, Aang looked like choking, and Sokka said 'I told you,' as chatter broke out among the group.

"And, as most of you know, we currently have two members of Fire Nation royalty in our prison cells at this very moment; Prince Zuko and General Iroh. I have decided, considering the acts they have committed against the Avatar, they will be put to death tomorrow. This will send a strong message to the Fire Nation, a message that the Earth Kingdom means business!"

Aang jumped forward, parting the crowd as he stormed towards the man.

"You can't just kill them! They're people too! You have no right to take their lives like that!" Aang shouted angrily, clenching his staff tightly, and fuming.

The man turned his head slowly to face the enraged boy, and a smirk crept to his lips.

"You must have a rather short memory, Avatar. You must know that these are the fiends who attempted to carry you off with them last night, or is that poison they used on you still clouding your head!"

"Don't you think I know that! Zuko and his uncle have been trying to capture me ever since we left the South Pole, but that doesn't justify your putting them to death like this! It's not right!"

"Aang.. be careful who you're talking to, he's King of Omashu now.." Katara whispered to him in a warning tone, grabbing his shoulders.

"They are from the Fire Nation! Why should we show them pity? They have shown us none! One hundred years of war have brought many brave Earthbenders to an early grave by the hands of the Fire Nation! Their fate is not for you to decide, Avatar."

"Killing will not solve the problem. Fighting death with death will only result in more people dying!" He desperately tried to explain to the man.

"They are to be executed at noon tomorrow." He glared at Aang one last time, and swept angrily from the room. Aang stood stock still, his face stony. Then, his expression lightened ever so slightly.

"Do either of you know where the prison cells are?" He asked Katara and Sokka in a whisper.

"I'm sure we could find them, why?"

All I can tell you, Aang, is that you might find what you are looking for in the least likely of places.

"I have an idea."

"Oh, no! You are NOT going to let them free, are you Aang?" Sokka whispered angrily. How could Aang be so stupid? In Sokka's opinion, that prince deserved to die.

"Here, we shouldn't be talking about this in the middle of the Palace- let's get back up to our room first, and then Aang, you can tell us what you're thinking." Agreeing with Katara's suggestion, they snuck out of the room and walked quickly back to their own, shutting the door behind them. Aang then turned to face Sokka and Katara, a curious expression on his face.

"Guys, Zuko can teach me Firebending."

"What? Aang- have you gone mad? He just tried to capture you again last night! He'd kill you before lowering himself to teaching you Firebending!"

"Think about what King Bumi said, Sokka. He said to look in unlikely places, and well, I think asking Prince Zuko to teach me is the last thing that any of us ever could have thought of. We don't have any other place to turn, and we can't just sit here waiting until the comet arrives- I need to start learning Firebending now. This may be a chance that we have to take."

"But there's no guarantee that Zuko will agree; and if he does agree, can we trust him? Think about it Aang, you're taking a huge risk."

"Katara- he's going to want to stay alive. If we offer him his freedom in return for him teaching me Firebending, he'll accept, I know he will."

"I guess, but, we have no way of knowing if he'll keep his word; he and his uncle could just run off as soon as they're free."

"Well, then, at least I'll have saved their lives."

How could this one little boy be so good? Prince Zuko, the living representation of the Fire Nation and a daily reminder of what they were up against, shouldn't get any pity from him. Aang should hate him, like she did. Yet instead of loathing every bone in his body with utter passion, he valued the Firebender enough to feel compassion, and to desire his freedom. That was the second time Aang's stubborn side shone through about Prince Zuko. Easily, he could have left Zuko to die in the blizzard at the North Pole, but he couldn't do it. Katara would have just left him there to a deserved death, like the little rodent that he was. She was quite confounded and utterly moved by Aang's passion for life; she hadn't yet seen him desire the death of another. What would happen when he had to face the Fire Lord? Would he be able to kill if it was necessary? She could kill, she knew that.

"What do you think?"

"I don't know Aang, there are so many ways this could go wrong.."

"You'll never gain anything unless you take chances, Katara. I have to do it, I might not get another chance like this one."

"All right Aang, it's your decision, Sokka and I are here to back you up." There she was again, in her classic supporting role, in control of nothing.

"Tonight we'll go ask him, and if he says yes, we get them out as quickly as we get, get on Appa and leave."

"That sounds wonderful." So, so many things could go wrong, but what could she say to him? He was convinced of his plan, and she didn't want to provoke anything by questioning his judgment too much. Now, all they could do was wait until night.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Shhhh!" Aang held his hand up, a signal to stop moving. Quietly, he glanced around in the darkness to check for any guards. "Here, I think this is it!"

"Aang, are you sure you want to do this? You're putting yourself in danger as well as all of Omashu-"

Ignoring Katara's talking, Aang turned and faced the brother and sister. "Guys, I can handle myself. You brought your stuff all packed, right?"

"Yea, but-"

"Sokka, I'm only going to say this once. Be quiet!"

With that, Aang approached the wall, and as quietly as he could, Earthbended the wall open. Zuko and his uncle looked up in shock to see the Avatar in front of them, with no weapons, none the less. Katara and Sokka then walked in after him, and glared and the two Firebenders. Aang may trust them, but they sure as hell wouldn't.

"You know you're going to die tomorrow, right?" Aang asked them, pointblank.

"Yes, we are aware." Zuko answered roughly.

"Teach me Firebending."

"What?" Zuko's head snapped up. Did his ears deceive him? Zuko stared hard at Aang's face, and saw it was no joke. The young boy who was standing before him, whom he had captured (or attempted to capture) multiple times, was asking him, Prince Zuko, to teach him Firebending.

"Teach me Firebending and we'll get you out of here." His voice remained calm and businesslike, his expression unfathomable.

A chance to get nearer to the Avatar, to travel with him, to get to know his weaknesses, and at the same time, save his and his uncle's lives. Zuko wasn't stupid. Yes, he was potentially teaching the Avatar the element that could be the downfall of the Fire Nation, the last element the Avatar needed to be all powerful, but Zuko wasn't going to let it get that far. The foolish boy trusted him, and Zuko would use that to his advantage. The Avatar had a weakness for valuing life, for having compassion. Zuko would make sure it proved to be a fatal mistake on Aang's part. He would agree to teach him, with an explanation being he had a change of heart. Plus, this meant he lived. He certainly couldn't capture the Avatar if he was dead. This plan forming in his head, he decided to stay silent for a minute, so it appeared as though he was considering; he couldn't seem too eager, that would be suspicious.

"Get us free and I'll teach you." Zuko finally answered.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Sokka asked warily.

"Are you really in a position where you can worry about who teaches him? Aren't you a little desperate at the moment?" His uncle elbowed him sharply in the ribs. He paused. "I give you my word." He said quietly.

Sokka could do nothing but accept it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you Avafangirl! You gave me the idea to have Aang rescue Zuko. I originally had something much more complicated planned, involving Zula and much, much chaos, which would have taken tons more explaining, but your short comment gave me this idea! Kudos to you:)

Yes, I killed someone off already. Oh just you wait..

I'm not sure this chapter will stay like this, I might change it around quite a lot. It feels choppy, but there's so much to cover. Ideas? Suggestions?


	5. A Fundamental Question

Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA. Sheesh that's getting old.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5: A Fundamental Question

Could they trust him? They didn't really have much of a choice now, as the five of them snuck through the hallways of a dead-quiet palace. Katara had been especially skeptical of Aang's plan, as she didn't think Zuko could be trusted. Hadn't he just attempted to capture Aang yet again, knocking her out in the process? She shook her head. Something felt so wrong about this; how could Zuko agree- just like that? Zuko conceding to teach Aang Firebending was the last thing in the world she'd ever expected. She knew Zuko to be stubborn, and full of pride for his Nation; he did not give in easily. There was no way in hell that under normal circumstances Zuko would teach Aang without some ulterior motive. Then again, these weren't exactly normal circumstances. Zuko and his uncle were going to be put to death tomorrow- how could she blame him for taking this opportunity? By agreeing to Aang's request, his life was being spared. She supposed it did make sense after all, but then again.. wouldn't it be more like Zuko to die in honor for his country, rather than betray his Nation and fraternize with the Avatar?

"Katara- over here, quick, I think I hear someone coming!" Aangs voice floated out of the darkness, and she quietly crept towards it. She had no idea where they were, she just followed the soft fall of footsteps in front of her blindly, hoping not to crash into anything and alert the entire city to them. That would just figure, she'd do something stupid, she thought. Quite a few times her failures and stupidity had nearly led to their downfall; but lucky for her, things always managed to work out. She would not do something stupid, she told herself. Something, like picking a fight with Zuko and getting him upset so he escaped. What if he escaped anyway? What if, right after they got free from Omashu, he turned on them and ran off? Well, no great loss. They would just have to find someone else to teach Aang firebending; they could go back to their original plan and head to Aunt Wu's.

"Oof!"

"Watch where you're walking, Katara!"

"Well, I would Sokka, but it's all dark, you see-"

"Guys, quiet!" Aang whispered to them. "I think we're at the stables!"

"You _think_? Appa's here, we should be able to tell if there's a ten ton monster in the room!"

"Well Sokka, if you think _you_ could do a better job leading us, they why don't-"

"Be QUIET!" A voice whispered harshly in the dark.

Katara and Sokka stood, shocked. This time it wasn't Aang who had silenced the siblings, but Prince Zuko. He hadn't said anything since he accepted Aang's plan, so to hear his voice was a little surprising. After all, they weren't used to traveling with the Prince.

"Ok everyone, I found Appa!" Aang whispered cheerfully in the dark. Quietly and with as much grace as possible, Katara, Sokka and Aang climbed on, and Iroh followed them. Zuko stood on the ground, looking disgusted at the shaggy creature in front of him.

"Prince Zuko, we're wasting time, get on!" Iroh called softly to his nephew.

"I am not getting on that _thing_."

"In that case, we can just leave you here to die." Sokka said darkly, thoroughly enjoying the idea, perhaps a little more than he should.

Knowing full well that Sokka meant what he said, he told himself to stop being so damn stubborn.

"Fine." Zuko awkwardly climbed on the bison, hating every bit of it.

Ever so quietly, Iroh whispered in Zuko's ear; "_If you want them to trust you, you're going to have to start acting differently, Prince Zuko."_

He knew his uncle was right. He was in fact, amazed that the Avatar's two Water Tribe companions had allowed this to happen at all. Why had they let the Avatar give him, Zuko, the opportunity to try his plan from a different angle? So far, capturing the Avatar by force hadn't worked, but if he could travel with them alone, observe them, know their weaknesses, and wait for the opportune moment to- to what? Somehow get rid of his two friends and whisk away the Avatar back to the Fire Nation? He supposed that would have to do. But when? Those two wouldn't take their eyes off of him, they didn't trust him at all. He would have to at first, 'hold up his word' because they were, in effect, saving his life. He could use that as an excuse without question. He was quite prepared to take as long as this was needed, because now that he would be traveling with the Avatar, it didn't matter how long things took. He knew this would probably be the last great chance he would get- he couldn't afford to mess this up.

"Hold on everyone! Yip, yip!" And they were flying..

He was being quiet. Much too quiet for Katara's liking; nothing good would come of this, she thought to herself. Why had she let Aang go through with his idea? How could she and Sokka have been stupid enough to let him do it? Curses. She would have to keep an eye on him, she knew that. She would watch him until she knew he could be trusted, which, of course would never happen. She could, if she wanted to, push him off of Appa right now and he would fall to his death; but Aang would get mad at her. But oh, how she wanted to! But, she told herself firmly not to let her own desires get in the way of the greater good. There she was, being selfish again. Instead of being thankful that Aang finally had someone to teach him Firebending, she was thinking about gratifying herself. It didn't matter what she wanted anymore, it mattered what was best for Aang. She tried hard not to be bitter about it, but sometimes she couldn't help but feel selfish; it was part of her nature. She was human, and she couldn't always choose how she felt; some things just happened, and she reacted. This was what sometimes led to trouble- her fight with Master Pakku, and the Waterbending scroll incident where she nearly got herself captured, for instance. Anger and jealousy- were two emotions she often lost control of; and her youth often showed through during these times. She may often act older than she was, but not all of her was grown up yet. This, she knew, was her great weakness. She shifted to a more comfortable position, one where she could keep an eye on the Prince; who looked like he was already asleep. She knew better than to fall for his ruse though, and she kept an eye on him until she drifted off from exhaustion. Prince Zuko, however, was genuinely asleep. Everyone except Aang had succumbed to their tiredness, and he dutifully steered Appa through the skies, urging him on faster, so they could put as much distance between them and Omashu as possible; he certainly didn't want an army of Earthbenders coming after them when the disappearance of Zuko and his Uncle became known. General Kado would know who had freed them. He didn't exactly know where they were flying to, but he figured heading for the coast might prove to be a good move. They could stock up on supplies which were plentiful in towns near water, and after that, he didn't know. Where could Zuko teach him Firebending without attracting attention? Perhaps in the middle of nowhere, moderately close to a town, but far enough away so that if someone was out wandering, they wouldn't chance upon the little group. Hours passed, and as dawn approached, Aang decided he should give Appa a rest, and they landed in the wilderness. Everyone was asleep but him, and so he decided to curl up and get some rest himself. For a while, they all slept in peace, though not exactly in great comfort. A few hours passed, and Katara felt herself slowly waking up. It was cold out, for it was early yet, and as she opened her eyes she realized she had rolled over and was next to the Prince. Scooting away from him as quickly as she could, she sat up, slid off of Appa and went to get a fire started. Taking out food from the supplies she had brought, it dawned on her that they only had enough food to last three people for a very short time; they would need more soon, as they hadn't planned on two extra mouths to feed. She got the fire going nicely, and began taking out bread and fruit for breakfast. The mere crackling sound of a fire awoke her brother, who jumped off of Appa and settled down next to his sister.

"I don't trust him."

"Neither do I, Sokka, but we can't change our minds now." She said in a snappy tone, wishing her brother would be quiet. She _knew_ that he didn't trust him, she knew she herself didn't trust him; nothing more could be established by talking about the fact that neither of them trusted Prince Zuko. Minutes dragged by, and Aang, Iroh and Zuko were soon awake. They seated themselves next to the fire, and began eating in silence; just chewing and swallowing. Katara finally broke it by bringing up the fact that they were in need of supplies.

"We can go after we eat, I guess. We're not far from a town, I'm sure we'll be able to find some food there." Aang suggested.

"Are we all going?" Sokka questioned.

"I don't see why not."

Zuko remained in thought for a moment. What if Fire Nation soldiers of his father saw him with the Avatar? No, that couldn't happen, it could potentially ruin everything. But then.. if the soldiers questioned why he was with the Avatar, he could lie and say he had decided to forget his father's wishes and join them, hence convincing the Avatar and his companions of his loyalty. Then again, it was too early to make such a drastic statement. They were already highly suspicious of him, and if he suddenly proclaimed his allegiance to the Avatar in front of Fire nation Soldiers, they would figure him out. No, he needed to bide his time, and wait, and perhaps gradually let it appear as though he didn't really believe in his father's wishes at all. Perfect. The fools, simple peasants and a caring, stupid boy, would believe him if he went about it in the right way, but he had to be convincing. This would be real, Zuko would make sure of that, for he wanted nothing more than to return home, proudly carrying the Avatar as his captive. This war was part of Fire Nation history, and he would make sure he did everything in his power to assure victory for his country. History would remember him as the exiled Prince who captured the last Airbender, and opened the gates for victory. He would take the throne after his noble father died, and reform the world after the Fire Nation. It would be perfect.

"Zuko, are you coming or not?"

"No, I'm staying here."

Is he already plotting his escape, that selfish son of a bitch? Katara thought angrily.

"Not by yourself, you aren't. Sokka, you stay." Katara ordered her brother, and then in a menacing whisper added; "Don't kill him." Although she would very much like to do the deed herself..

Sokka slumped huffishly to the ground, glaring bitterly at Zuko, and watched as Iroh, Aang, and Katara disappeared through the bushes towards town. Of course, _he_ would be the one to babysit the prince. Katara really shouldn't have left him here, because it was going to take all his self control to keep from strangling his scrawny little neck...

Zuko leaned against the base of a tree, and amused himself by thinking of how many different ways he could execute his brilliant plan. They were already giving him prime opportunities, leaving the buffoon here alone to guard him. This might even prove to be easier than he thought. He could even 'accidentally' burn the Avatar while teaching him. He could always just murder them all in their sleep.. yes.. that thought gratified him. Kill them. It would be so easy.

But would it? If that was really the case, why hadn't he done it before? He had to admit that it sounded so simple, so why hadn't he ever even tried? Because he was weak. Weak, spineless, and unable to deal the final blow. Why couldn't he do it? Why? _Why?_

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Katara couldn't stop worrying about leaving the Prince. She was, by now, more than confident in Sokka's abilities to keep himself alive, and prevent the Prince from escaping, but she still felt uneasy; but that could just be the odd-tasting papaya she had eaten for breakfast. Her stomach gurgled and as she wandered from shop to shop, buying the necessary supplies, all the time keeping her eyes open for any more Firebenders they might run in to. These days she was always alert, on her guard and prepared for attacks; she refused to let herself be the weakness of the group again. Her bright blue eyes were constantly flitting around, and she never stayed in one place too long, lest someone should be able to watch her for an extended amount of time. Her mind calculated things quickly, her body was always tense and expecting assault. How had she come to be this kind of person? Being chased constantly does things to people, she supposed, as she finished picking out dried foods, and moved on to the fresh fruit and vegetables. Picking a cart, she walked over to it and began examining the fruit.

Aang then tapped her on the shoulder lightly.

"Are you done yet?"

"In a minute, Aang, I just have to pick out some fresh foods, and then we can go. Where's Iroh?" She asked, raising her eyebrow. Aang shouldn't let him out of sight like that.

"Right over there, at the tea stand." Katara nodded, paid for the food, and she and Aang went to collect Zuko's uncle so they could leave. However, he insisted on buying tea before he would move, to the great annoyance of Katara. She nervously looked around her, scanning the streets for someone who might recognize the General, and question as to why he was with the Avatar. Even more so- she was afraid someone might see Aang; but no trouble had found them as of yet, so her impatient foot-tapping didn't faze Aang as they waited for Iroh to purchase tea.

But despite her constant vigilance, a pair of eyes followed the odd looking trio through the market. Katara had remained watchful for bright fire Nation uniforms, so the slim, cloaked figure lurking behind corners of odd shops had escaped her notice completely. The figure's eyebrows raised considerably when the portly old man departed with the water bender and the avatar, as the watcher had been certain he was here on his own; but no. Her eyes flashed brilliantly, and she smiled. She knew the information she dispatched would greatly interest the Fire Lord. Swiftly, she ran from her cover and headed to the docks. If her assumption was correct, not only had she found Iroh, but Prince Zuko as well. Yes, this information would prove _very_ useful to the Fire Nation..

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Pull up your hood more." Katara ordered the general, for she would not allow him to be recognized.

"Katara, you worry too much. No one's seen us!" Aang said lightly. All seemed to be great in his world again- he would learn firebending from Zuko, and that would be that.

Hadn't it been just a few days ago when all three of them had been deeply troubled over the question of finding a master? How could Aang have forgotten so quickly, that despite the finding of a teacher, they still had to be supremely careful about what they did? They were no longer within the walls of protected (well, so she had thought, until they were attacked) Omashu, able to freely walk all the streets without worry. (Even though her instincts had still kept her on alert most of the time.) They had to be careful, dammit, and even if Aang was carefree, she had to make sure that they all avoided calling attention to themselves. They walked back from the town in silence, and reached their campsite. Katara sighed in relief upon seeing that Sokka and Zuko hadn't killed each other; in fact, they didn't even appear to be fighting, or anything of the sort. The Prince had settled himself sitting up against a tree, arms crossed and a frown on his face; while Sokka lay a few feet from him, teasing Momo with a nut. Zuko actually hadn't tried anything yet! Sokka wasn't dead or bleeding, and Appa was still there, laying peacefully in the dappled sunlight of the small forest they had settled themselves in. She was pleasantly surprised, to say the least, and her surprise showed quite evidently on her pretty face, as Zuko noticed.

He knew she had expected the worst of him, and here he was, proving her wrong, and earning her trust. It was all just part of the plan. Perhaps, he thought, he could even get her to betray the Avatar; for he had some sense of the frustration that she felt towards Aang that she always kept so bottled up.

Katara didn't like the expression that washed over Prince Zuko's face as they returned. What was it? A smirk? A grin? But it only lasted for a second, and was quickly replaced by his status quo angry glare.

"Avatar."

Aang turned around, and faced the Prince who was now standing with a serious look on his face. Aang stared at him questioningly.

"Do you want me to teach you Firebending or not?"

A more serious look replaced Aang's expression, and he bowed; remembering his last experience. Katara's scream once again echoed in his ear, but he pushed his apprehension aside, because this had to be done.

"The first and most important thing to remember, is Firebending comes from the breath."

"I know, that's what Jeong-Jeong told me." Aang said in a low voice, remembering to himself.

Zuko glared at him. Apparently, he wasn't used to being interrupted, even if the interruption wasn't rude.

"If you want to learn anything at all, I suggest you be silent and listen to what I tell you; for I will not repeat myself. You should be grateful that I'm honoring my word and teaching you at all." The prince uttered through clenched teeth. This was definitely going to take all his self control; but he had to be patient. Patience was key. _Make them trust you. Once that is accomplished, betray them._ Such was his mantra. He repeated these words to himself as began to teach Aang the basics.

Katara had better things to do than watch Aang learn Firebending. She hated fire, it's quickness, it's capacity for utter destruction. It had to be tamed carefully, for even in the gentlest of hands it was a weapon of epic proportions. Fire had always made her think of her mother- and her death. Katara didn't want to stay and watch Aang learn the element, so she excused herself with the job of looking for a source of fresh water. She walked away from camp quickly, her footsteps making a soft pattering underneath the canopy of trees. For a few minutes she walked, listening carefully for the rushing sound of water that enthralled her completely. She loved her element; it's fluidity and grace, and powers of healing. It wasn't long before she came upon a little stream with clear, fresh water. Kneeling down beside it, she cupped her hands and submerged them in the liquid, and brought them back up to her face, splashing it clean. It's cool, gentle feel relaxed her, and she momentarily forgot about their present situation. Taking up her water skin, she filled it to the brim and capped it again, satisfied with her expedition. However, she had little desire to return to camp yet, so she decided to do some bending practice of her own; as it had been a while since she had had a fresh stream full of water to work with. She drew a ball of water out of the stream and circled it with her hands, packing it tightly into ice, and then melting it again and streaming it around her. Over her head, around trees she directed the water, practicing simple battle moves and little tricks of her own. Morning faded into afternoon, and she sadly realized she couldn't stay here forever. Grudgingly she picked up her water skin and began the short walk back to camp, which she reached in a few minutes.

Aang saw her figure approaching from the trees, and stopped bending.

"I found a stream not far from here." She announced wearily as she plopped down on onto the soft ground. Laying back, she stared up at the green tree canopy above her, admiring summer's beauty. Aang walked over and sat down beside her, somewhat forlornly. From what Katara could derive from his face, practice did not go well. Aang always expected to master things easily, but fire was more than just 'difficult' to tame. It would take a while for Aang to master fire, she could see. For a moment, she glanced at Zuko, who was shirtless, in fact, and covered in sweat. She turned away in disgust, and stretched herself out on the ground to relax.

Sokka, meanwhile, had been sharpening his boomerang and sitting in silence the whole time. Iroh had merely interjected bits of advice while Zuko was teaching Aang, and now sat silently with a neutral expression on his face.

The entire camp and its inhabitants were tired, and none of them had much to say to each other. How could they? A general and a prince from the fire nation, traveling with the Avatar and his two water tribe companions. Neither half of the party could speak their thoughts now, for fear of being overheard, and so silence ensued. They all lay around quietly as the day grew darker, each lost in their own thoughts.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I NEED to get on this boat, do you understand me?" The hooded woman barked, grabbing the harbor master by the collar, and bringing her face up to his an a menacing glare.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but if you don't pay, you can't board." He said shakily, while trying to ignore her dangerous beauty.

"You leave me no choice, then." She snarled, and in one catlike movement, she withdrew a dagger from her cloak and eased it into the mans ribs, knocking him to the ground and behind a pile of crates. She then jumped aboard the ship, which was headed for the Fire Nation, and looked around for a place to hide.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Big hugs to those who reviewed! Ya'll make me happy:) 


	6. Teacher and Pupil

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: TLA. (New season March 17th, yo!)

Thanks again to those who took time out of their lives to read and review this story. I assure you, I'm grateful!

Who _is _this mysterious woman who saw the trio in town? (No, she is not a character of my creation!)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 6: Teacher

It was a deathly calm, aggravating silence that ripped her mind to shreds. She hated it. How much longer could she endure this? Usually she didn't mind quiet, but this was a terribly different kind than she was used to. It was a sharp, tense, biting silence, and it drove her mad. With Iroh and Zuko around them constantly, little conversation could be had between Sokka, Aang and Katara, or all of them for that matter. What once had been easy evenings of talk and stories, was now nothing more than five people, sitting on the ground in the depths of a forest, waiting. She was so tired of it.

She was also tired of the Prince and his confusing ways. She had previously arrived at the obvious conclusion that the Prince and his Uncle would take the first chance offered to them and run off. It was her low expectations that led to her complete and utter surprise to find that Zuko had not left them yet. Why would he possibly want to stay with two rag-tag water peasants and a monk who happened to be the Avatar? Wouldn't he rather escape, gather supplies, an army, a ship and such, so he could begin hunting them properly again? It confounded her. She turned her slender neck to stare at the Prince, narrowing her eyes, as though attempting to read his very thoughts. The only thing she could derive from her intense thinking was one thing: the Prince was royalty, right? So, he had to have some shreds of good breeding in him, no matter how small they were. He had given them his word, and so, like an honorable Prince, was following it. Aang already trusted him, so why shouldn't she? She paused in her thoughts, trying to answer this question, and managed to come up with an extremely long list as why she refused to trust the Prince. Aang may be a naive, trusting and caring human being, but Katara found Zuko and his behavior unsettling. She wouldn't be as easy to fool.

Zuko had noticed the strange looks he was receiving from the Water Tribe girl, and he smiled internally because of them. He shifted his position and pretended not to notice. He was succeeding: the Avatar trusted him, and Katara was on her way. A few maneuvers on his part, and she would completely fall for his ruse, hopefully. The boy, her brother, was a different matter. Zuko doubted he would ever be able to gain his trust, though it wasn't something to lose sleep over. All he needed was the girl to trust him, and she and the Avatar would outnumber her brother. Perhaps he could even turn them against each other, maybe even get the boy to leave the group? There was an idea, and a good one at that.

Unable to endure the silence any longer, the thought of her little stream sprung into Katara's mind. Excusing herself from the group, she got up from her seat and began walking quickly away to her haven. She imagined it- the clear water, clean sandy shores, and bright green trees that canopied the area. A call suddenly broke into her thoughts, and she turned to see Aang trotting after her; apparently he needed somewhere to escape to as well. Katara and Aang walked in quiet for a little while, before Katara broke the silence.

"How did Zuko teaching you to Firebend go today?" She asked, half afraid to learn the answer.

"Not that well. Fire is so much harder that air, earth, or even water to control. Fire is so alive- it has a mind of it's own and it takes a lot of concentration to control it." He explained.

"So did you learn anything?"

"Not much. He wouldn't teach me anything really complicated, he said that I have to 'master the basics first'." Aang glumly replied.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. You just have to keep trying, and concentrate as hard as you can."

"I know. I know this is important, we only have two and a half months until the end of summer."

"Don't think about it like that, just concentrate on your bending. Don't worry Aang, Sokka and I know you can do it." She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled to encourage him, and a grin played on the corner of his lips.

"Now, why exactly are we out here?"

"I don't know, just to get away from Zuko, I guess." Katara shrugged.

"Hey- I have an idea!"

"What?"

"We both can Waterbend, so...we can practice fighting!" Aang said slyly.

"So you can beat me again and rub it in my face? C'mon Aang, I don't think so." She really, really didn't think so. She was quite proud of her bending, and having Aang beat her all the time was wearing on her ego. However, she didn't want him to know that, so she tried to reply as playfully as she could.

"Please?" He wheedled, a hopeful look on his face, his hands clasped together. His plead wore her down, because she always tried to do what she could to keep him happy.

"Fine, but prepare yourself Aang, I've been practicing!" She warned as she assumed her stance and turned to face the Avatar.

Unnoticed by either of the benders, Prince Zuko stood, watching them from behind a clump of trees, noting their every move. From observing this simple display, he learned something to support his previously conceived belief: Katara did what the Avatar wanted. For a little longer, he remained staring at the two, who were both fighting their hearts out. Then, snapping himself out of his daze, he remembered that Sokka would probably be wondering where he went, and decided to go back. He wanted to appear as trustworthy as possible, and as far as he knew, disappearing for long stretches of time with little or no explanation, did not qualify as such. Slipping back into camp, Sokka merely acknowledged Zuko's return by turning his head and looking at him; and upon seeing him reseat himself besides his uncle, Sokka satisfied himself with thinking that the Prince had merely stepped out for a bathroom break.

As it was getting late (and because Aang was again winning,) Katara halted their play fight and said that she needed to get back to make dinner. Aang agreed (as he was hungry) and the two walked back to camp in the dark.

"Well, if you guys are done _bonding_ or whatever, I'm hungry." Sokka announced to them as they reappeared.

"As a matter of fact, that's why we came back, Sokka." Katara replied irritably as she began gathering kindling to start a fire. As soon as she had gathered enough twigs, she began rubbing two sticks together vigorously to get a fire going, with no success. She glared at the two stubborn pieces of tree and tried even harder: nothing. It was times like these that made her wish she was a firebender, almost. She then looked at Zuko.

"I could use some help, here!" Katara hissed angrily at him.

Without a word, he picked himself up, walked over, and with nonchalant ease, lit the twigs with fire from his palm; and then returned to his seat.

Selfish, stubborn, arrogant, ignorant- in her mind, Katara went on a tirade of all the things she hated about the prince, which kept her occupied while she began boiling water for their meal. She cut up vegetables to make a savory stew, and remembered to give Aang a bowl before she added the dried meat. She handed out the meager rations, and grabbed a bowl for herself. Sitting down next to Aang, she slowly ate her meal, enjoying the food while it lasted. It may not have been the best of cooking, but the heated broth, dried meat and cooked vegetables did their job and satisfied her hunger. After finishing, she again glanced at Zuko, to find him warily sniffing his food, with a rather disgusted look on his face. Well if he didn't like it, he could just starve for all she cared! _Damn Aang to hell for ever thinking of this idiotic arrangement. _She thought bitterly to herself. Of all the Firebenders in the entire world, Aang had to latch onto the very one she despised the most. It just figured. She groaned in her thoughts when she wondered about how long it might take for Aang to learn Firebending, and her face contorted into a frown. Curse that stupid Prince. Oh, how she hated him! Maybe at dinner one night, she could slip some toxic plant juice into his food; no one would ever know the difference, as Sokka often complained that her cooking could kill anyhow..

_This food is disgusting, where in hell's name did she learn to cook?_ Prince Zuko thought angrily as he tried to swallow the piping hot mixture. The stupid peasant obviously couldn't do anything right, and he would have to endure it for as long as he was the Avatar's teacher! Unacceptable as this was to him, sacrifices must be made for the greater purpose, he thought. Perhaps he shouldn't have lit the fire so she wouldn't have been able to cook this horrible meal.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cramped and irritated, the dark haired woman crouched in the dingy storage room of the Fire Nation ship. How long it would take to reach Firenation territory she didn't know, but she hoped to hell that it wouldn't take long. She wasn't one to often enjoy extravagant comforts, but she didn't appreciate having to stow away on a ship, either. Hopefully, it would only take a week to get to there, because the sooner she got out of this cramped space, and was able to sell what she had learned for money, the better. Her dark eyes flashed in the black air, as she drifted into the glorious thoughts of what the riches she would earn could buy her.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After they all finished their meal, Katara collected the small bowls and made a trip to the stream so she could wash them clean. It was rather convenient, in a backwards way, having the stream separate from camp. It was a place she could go to lose herself, be near water in peace, and enjoy the relaxation it brought her. Even though walking to the stream would become a daily routine, it wasn't a terribly long walk, and Katara enjoyed it. Kneeling down at the streams edge, she carefully began scrubbing away what was left of the food with her hands- as they didn't have any spare cloth to use at the moment. They would have to buy some in town the next time they went. Fairly quickly, she finished washing the small things and collected them up, readying herself to walk back to camp; to the quasi-hell she must endure for another night. Their life already felt like a well worn routine, though it had only been one day. In the morning, Aang would continue to learn firebending, which would last the whole day, and she and Sokka would have to find some way to occupy themselves. The monotony of their situation did not please her, but what could she do? She was powerless to change it.

Carefully, she made her way back to the camp, as it had grown rather dark. The glow of the fire provided a speck of light for her to follow, and she reached it safely. Putting the bowls away in her knapsack, she uncapped her water-skin and doused the fire, creating puffs of steam that rose up into the night like a ghostly shadow. She walked back to where she had slept the previous night, curled up with her uncomfortably rough woolen blanket and scrunched her eyes shut; trying in vain to get cozy, although she was far from being tired. After a few minutes spent in this fashion, she again opened her eyes, revealing bright blue specks that glowed in the dark. The light that was cast from the dying embers of the fire reflected off her pupils, and it appeared as though her eyes were dancing. Katara, however, was unaware of how beautiful her eyes looked at night, because Aang was the one who admired her in silence.

Zuko was another member of the group disturbed by his thoughts. Laying on his back, he stared up at the night sky, pondering his situation. He was in a situation that required extreme delicacy; no matter what, he had to stay in this group. Getting them to trust him was his general goal, but he wasn't sure about the specifics. He had to think of a concrete, concise plan that would get him the Avatar. What that plan was, and how he would accomplish it, he had no idea.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning dawned again, bringing it's unwanted light into the eyes of the group members. Zuko was the first to fully awaken, stretching his arms, yawning, and momentarily forgetting where he was- that is until he saw the sleeping forms of his companions situated around him. Crawling out from under the threadbare blanket he slept with, he sat up, and began wondering whether or not he should risk taking a short walk to clear his head, taking into consideration that one of the siblings might wake up and have a fit because they saw he was gone. He finally decided he could wait, and in doing so, began playing absentmindedly with fire he created from his palms.

While he amused himself in this fashion, Katara watched him carefully with one eye cracked open. Peering from under her blanket, she studied the Prince carefully, while a debate raged within her. Their situation was lose-lose, a double edged knife, if you will. They couldn't just send him off, because Aang needed to learn firebending, but him staying with their group was a great risk, if you asked her. It was a predicament only she herself seemed to be concerned about, as Aang already trusted Zuko; the fool. She continued observing her enemy, until Aang and Sokka lazily woke up and started complaining of hunger.

Hastily pretending to be asleep, she let Aang nudge her awake.

"Katara, get up, Sokka's hungry again." Aang whispered to her ear.

"Tell Sokka that if he's hungry, he can get the bread and fruit out of the bag himself. Last time I checked, even an idiot is capable of untying a string." She replied grumpily. Sokka was a year older than herself, he should be competent enough to get food out of a bag.

She lazily rolled over onto her back, breathing the delightfully fresh air, and admiring the general beauty of their camp. Their temporary home was a small patch of ground lacking trees, but plentiful in bunches of flowers. The forest surrounded them, giving their camp a border of trees, green with summer leaves; but not so densely populated as to block the sun from reaching through the branches. The floor of the forest was painted with the butter yellow sunlight, and the air that occupied the place was curiously still, giving it an overall ethereal feel. She rarely had gotten the chance to appreciate any kind of beauty in the pre-Omashu days, as they had been constantly on the run; but once they were settled in the city, she got the chance to admire nature again. (Though there was little nature left in the city). A light sigh ran through her, and for a moment she felt calmed by the innocent loveliness encircling them; that is, until Sokka walked over to her.

"Get up Katara, you promised you would fry the dried ostrich for breakfast today!"

"I used it last night in the stew, so you're just going to have to eat fruit and bread, like Aang."

A frown replaced the impatient look he wore and he sulkily retrieved the food bag to get himself some breakfast.

After a brief meal, Zuko again began to teach Aang his element. Curiosity had taken hold of her, and instead of escaping into the forest, she decided to stay and watch. Perhaps it was just because she wanted to keep an eye on Zuko, but for whatever reason, Katara settled herself on the ground, leaning on a tree. Sokka, however, took his chance to leave camp and go off in pursuit of something interesting to do.

Zuko, building on what Aang had learned yesterday, showed Aang a simple move, using his fist to emit long flames in a blast.

Aang frowned pensively, remembering to breath deeply, and in one fluid motion, punched the air, his fist streaming orange and yellow fire, only it was a small blast; nothing even remotely threatening.

Iroh frowned at the Avatar, and made a small comment.

"You are not using your power properly- you must breathe deeply, letting the breath fuel you, not your body or mind."

Zuko turned and glared venomously at his uncle, his eyebrows knit together and his face contorted in silent fury. His uncle nagged him enough about his own Firebending, but now he was critiquing his teaching, and the _Avatar_? Zuko, however, was able to remain in control of his bubbling temper, and Aang merely took the comment with thankfulness and grace.

"Perhaps you should return to the moves from yesterday," was Iroh's next contribution.

Making a mental note to himself to strangle his uncle at a later point, Zuko then made Aang practice the moves from yesterday. Although he was the Avatar, Aang was not getting the gist of Firebending. He struggled with it much more than he had with any other element, and his frustration at not being able to accomplish anything fantastic only made matters worse. Perhaps because fire was such a completely different Element for Aang, he had trouble mastering it. Whatever the reason, things were not progressing well.

Katara noticed this as the minutes dragged on, and as Aang was still on the very basics. However, she spent most of her time watching Zuko, never taking her eyes off of his face, in hope of catching a shadow of an expression that might betray his inner thoughts to her. She wanted desperately to prove to Aang that he was untrustworthy, as she could feel it inside herself; but she knew that it was useless. Even if she could prove it, they needed him whether she liked it or not.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her weary, stiff form lay scrunched on the bottom of the storage room, her smoky eyes shut. After a few hours of being awake in the darkness, she had decided to let herself drift off to sleep, and hope that no one would find her there while she slept. Her dark red lips were parted slightly, and she breathed gently through her mouth, sending short strands of black hair that lay across her face gently flying up as she exhaled. She lay coiled between stacks of boxes, uncomfortably leaning upon them with her tattooed arms spread out to the sides of her. For the next two weeks on the passage to the Fire Nation, this would be her home.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three hours had slowly dragged themselves by, and Aang (not to mention Zuko) was thoroughly frustrated. He and Zuko had begun sparring with the very basic moves, and had gotten no where. Katara watched in quiet concern as they prepared for the fourth round. The two faced each other, and Aang began shooting small flames at Zuko; who at the moment was at the end of his mental tether. In a primitive reaction to Aang's "attacks", he reverted to his previous mechanical mindset of 'capturing the Avatar.' Without fully knowing what he was doing, he began using advanced bending to force Aang to retreat, and his attacks on Aang intensified. Faster and faster he began shooting flames, from his hands and feet, forcing Aang backwards and into a tree. Zuko ran at him, about to unleash another blast of fire, when Katata lost it. From what Katara saw, it looked exactly like Zuko was trying to kill him. Furiously, she shot up and rushed in front of Aang, shouting at Zuko.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" She screamed at him, her body quivering in anger. "You're supposed to be teaching him, not trying to kill him!" She shot poisonously, glaring in utter fury and contempt. Hadn't she known this would happen? Hadn't she told Aang he couldn't be trusted!

Zuko immediately realized what he had been doing, and began cursing himself. This could ruin everything. If the girl succeeding in getting the Avatar to agree to stop him from teaching, his hope would come to nothing!

"Katara, calm down, he wasn't attacking me! He was just trying to get me to defend myself, that's all!"

"No, Aang, he wasn't. I don't understand how you can trust him! he's a conniving-"

"I'm right here, you know." Zuko sneered.

Aang pulled Katara away from Zuko for a moment, and looked at her desperately.

"Katara, he wasn't attacking me, he was just trying to teach me. I _need_ to learn firebending, you know that!"

"Aang, it's as plain as day that he was attacking you! I saw it! We're finding you a new teacher."

"Where, Katara? Where are we going to find someone else?"

"I don't know, but we can't let him keep teaching you, something doesn't feel right about this!" She said wearily, bringing her hands to her face.

"We don't have a choice. He's willing to teach me, and I'm going to learn from him." Aang then turned away from her and strode back to Zuko, who let a small flash of triumph cross his face. Katara merely glared at him, seriously contemplated attacking him then and there, and then settled for stalking off into the woods to calm her temper.

He couldn't make a mistake like that again. He had let his guard down just a little, and it had almost cost him dearly. Now, of course, the girl would be even more suspicious of him, if that was possible.

Katara took her stormy temper out to the stream, where she could release her anger without damaging anyone's (meaning Zuko's) vital organs. She spent a good hour bending the water furiously, and when she had finally calmed herself down, she collapsed on the sandy bank, exhausted. Her thoughts then turned back to Zuko. He was up to something..

-------------------------------------------------

Damn her. She just had to have been watching, so she could see him lose himself, and begin attacking the Avatar again. Now, he would have to try even harder to convince her of his good intentions. Damn her. Totally preoccupied with his dislike of Katara, the prince halted Aang's lessons for the moment, and found himself a tree to sit under, where he could sit and brood. He agonized over her astuteness and her damnable habit of watching him every waking second, and so completely forgot to think of plans for the Avatar's future downfall.

The warm afternoon comforted none of the three; as Aang, Zuko and Katara all spent the rest of the day moody and upset. Aang wanted Katara to trust Zuko and agree with him, but she wouldn't. He also recognized she was mad at him for making the decision that he did, and so was slightly sad. He quietly retreated into the woods, airbended himself up into the branches of a tall tree, and sat thinking. There, shaded slightly by the tree's canopy, he leaned his bald head back against the trunk, fixing his eyes onto a single leaf in front of him. He sat there until dusk, at which point he deiced to return to camp.

Katara and Aang both emerged from the trees at the same time, and they glanced at each other, each trying to read the other's expression. Katara immediately walked over to the somewhat downhearted boy, and explained that it was only out of concern for his safety that she had gotten so angry.

"I'm not angry with you Aang, you do know that, right?"

"I guess, but why won't you trust Zuko?"

Biting her lip to keep herself from shouting out all the millions of reasons that flowed into her head, she paused.

"I-, I just don't. But the important thing is that I was only worried for your safety; it's up to me and Sokka to help you all we can."

Aang nodded, and they understood each other. Her loyalty to Aang lay deep.

Zuko watched this interaction, and was actually amazed at the girl's protectiveness over him. Her dedication to the boy was admirable in a sense. She showed the same kind of relentless devotion that a Firenation soldier showed to his country, like the devotion he felt to his father and country. The similarity was uncanny. He pondered his briefly, and eventually drifted into thoughts of his homeland, and how he wished he could return. However, he was quickly brought back to reality when the scent of Katara's cooking entered his nostrils.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She had moved from her position in between boxes, to a more spacious corner of the room. She sat cross-legged, admiring the flashing blade of her dagger. Then, the metal door of the storage room creaked open, and she flattened herself on the floor silently, as to escape notice. In walked a young servant, of about twenty years of age, wearing an off-white tunic, and red band of cloth tying it around his waist- also holding up loose blank pants. He searched through boxes, humming absentmindedly, until he found what he needed, and left, closing the door behind him. She sighed in relief. Luckily for her, the young man who had been sent to retrieve the cabbages form the store room did not notice the sharply beautiful woman hidden in the dark corner. But it was really luck on his part, because if he had spotted her, it would have meant his death; she had never been known for being generous.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------

A/N: Well, there you have it. Hopefully you can guess who the woman is now! If you can't, heres a clue:

She is stowing away on the boat because she is "a little short on money."... mm did I just use a quote? Oh dear.

I think it's pretty obvious, but that could be because I'm writing the story. R & R, I would greatly appreciate it.

Heads up: When it gets to be April, I won't be updating. Damn school.


	7. When Lightning Strikes

Chapter 7: When Lighting Strikes

Tonight, their dinner consisted only of cooked vegetables and spices. Katara didn't want to use up all their meat in one week, and since she had cooked some in the previous night's dinner, the troupe would be forced to go through a few days meat-less. Sokka reacted poorly to this idea, and sulkily poured the soup into his mouth, every once in a while shooting a mild glare in her direction. She ignored him, as she had done at all the other times in her life when he had bothered her, and allowed herself to seem completely absorbed in the process of eating. She took her time, as always, enjoying every last bit. Her mother had always told her to appreciate whatever food was set in front of her, and she adhered to this advice. Her mother may have been dead, but parts of her lived on through Katara. Lost in a reverie, Katara placed her hand on her necklace, running her fingers over the smooth stone carving that glinted in the firelight. After finishing the food, she snapped herself back to reality, and began collecting up the bowls as she had the night before. Zuko's still held a good quantity of food. Instead of taking this as an insult to her cooking, she satisfied herself with hoping he'd starve so she wouldn't have to put up with him any longer. After she had collected the bowls into a tottering pile, she set off through the dark trees to the stream. As she passed out of hearing of the camp, she let a huge sigh rush out of her, as she finally felt comfortable to relax a bit. Although, she was leaving Zuko with Sokka and Aang, which worried her slightly; but she doubted Zuko would try anything so soon after his little attack this afternoon. Kneeling on the bank, she began washing the bowls as slowly as she could, hoping to waste as much time as possible so she wouldn't have to return so quickly.

Zuko, holding his hand to his stomach, reclined on a moss covered rock, trying to digest Katara's meal. His pampered self had been accustomed to cooking of the highest quality both in the Palace and his ship, and consequently this new corse food did not sit well with his taste. He was beginning to think he might be better at the art himself. But as he sat, his thoughts turned back to the little mishap during the training that morning. How could he have been so stupid as to let himself lose control like that? His meditation was supposed to help him control himself! A visible glared formed on his face, the corners of his mouth set tightly, his arms crossed. He remained in this position for quite a while, and Katara immediately noticed his expression when she returned from the stream, and glared hatefully at him. His eyes rose to meet hers, and in that instant they both felt a powerful gush of hatred and suspicion. It was a quick shock, a powerful jolt that surprised them both. The gaze only lasted a moment, but as she had stared into his bright golden eyes, she couldn't help but hate him even more, as her passionate loathing of him spiked dramatically at that single second they shared. Katara almost felt as though lighting had struck the ground that lay between them as their eyes had met; like the quick swoop of anger that overcame her momentarily and left her dazed, as she hadn't quite experienced anything quite like it. She could almost see the singed and blackened ground that lay between them. Why was it that whenever she saw him, she could only see destruction?

Unsettled as she might have felt for that brief moment, she pulled herself together and walked back to her own little space in the camp. After she had shoved the bowls into the bag, she settled herself again on the ground in her sleeping bag, in her rightful place next to Aang, and fell asleep rather quickly; after the last thoughts of his look left her mind.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been two days. Two stinking days, since she had snuck aboard this ship, and she was already tired of sitting in the storage room. She only left it occasionally late at night; but that wasn't enough. She wasn't meant to be kept cooped up for long stretches of time; and it took all her self control to keep herself from bursting out of the room. She knew she couldn't, because the Fire Nation Soldiers, although easily beaten, would not hesitate to try and throw her overboard. It wasn't that she thought she couldn't take them- but there were probably more than she could handle on her own, and then even if she did manage to get rid of them all, who would steer the ship? She had no choice but to remain where she was, and keep her thoughts occupied with what she would do when they finally did reach the Fire Nation Capital.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning was long past, and again, Zuko was teaching Aang firebending. Katara, however, had been shooed out by Aang, who insisted that she take a trip to town to clear her mind. Aang recognized that if Katara stayed and watched again, she would only worry for him more, so with great difficulty, he had persuaded her to go on a shopping trip with the little money they had. To assure her that nothing would go wrong, Sokka would stay with Zuko and Aang. (Katara trusted Sokka now, he was more than capable of fighting Zuko; it was the result of much, much training done in Omashu).

Katara wandered the slim streets of the town, her eyes flitting from one stand to the next, unsure of what necessity to take care of first. Although it was summer, the nights weren't overly warm, and she decided that a few extra blankets couldn't hurt. They could also use some more utensils, basic foods, maybe a bow and arrows for Sokka... the problem was that they didn't have a whole lot of money. Reaching down into the small cloth bag, she pulled out one gold, ten bronze, and five copper pieces. Looking from her hand to the shops, she finally decided upon buying stores of food, one extra blanket ( a _used _blanket at that) and another skin to hold fresh water with. After she made her purchases, she had but three bronze and two copper pieces. They would need to resort to stealing soon. Bundling up her things, she began walking slowly down the road, away from town, and back to their camp. As she listened to her heart's rhythmic beat sync with her soft pattering footsteps, her thoughts suddenly turned to Aang and Zuko. Her imagination began spewing horrid scenarios which all ended up with Sokka dead and Aang incapacitated by Zuko. Her pace grew faster, her brow wrinkling in worry. Her concern increased, building up to a powerful panic as her feet placed her nearer and nearer; for she wondered if when she returned, she would find a triumphant Zuko, smirking maliciously at her. How could she have left them! She knew what Zuko was capable of, this was a prime opportunity for him to capture Aang! Oh, why had she listened to him and come to the market! Curse Aang! These visions were nearly a reality for her, and it got to the point where she began running- tripping over roots in the ground, nearly spilling all that she carried. Breathing heavily, she sprinted down the road, finally reaching the forest. Hastily she tore through the trees, her heart rate speeding, breath racing and eyes wide, about to collapse from paranoia. She tore into the clearing, wide eyed, and her hair in a tussle, to find that Aang and Zuko were taking a break, sitting on the ground and drinking some fresh water. They all turned their heads to see Katara in her half crazed state. For a moment they all just stared at each other, until Aang finally broke the silence.

"Katara, are you OK?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes." She said as she threw the packages on the ground, and collapsed upon it herself. Sokka and Aang only gave her weird looks of confusion; but Zuko knew why she had arrived in such a fashion. Immediately when she had burst into camp, she had looked straight at him- and he knew it was because she had expected the worst of him. After all, she had good reason to. But Zuko merely looked placidly back at her, with as much innocence as he could muster.

Katara laid back on the ground in exhaustion. Trusting him would be so much easier..

----------------------------------------------------------

Four more days passed in this fashion, and Zuko's perseverance began to wear on Katara. Since his attack on Aang, he had let nothing slip. His determination carried him through now more than ever. One week in total, had passed, and not much had changed.

"Katara, we're out of meat."

"I'm going to town today, I'll buy some with what money we have left."

"Why don't we all go? It'd be a nice change of scenery. Staying put in this forest gets pretty boring." Aang commented lazily as he spun leaves around in the air, leaving them to flutter on top of Momo who chirred and swatted at them playfully.

Katara eyed the two firebenders. "I guess.." She replied, some concern lingering in her voice.

Zuko perked up slightly at the idea. It would be a chance for him to hear any news brought from the Fire Nation.

All of them then set off for town, and upon reaching it, decided they should stay together. (This was more Katara's decision than anyone else's, but she figured she could keep an eye on Zuko if they were all together. Not that any of them could be easily recognized, as she had forced them all into ridiculous disguises; but then again, some things are just too obvious to hide, Zuko's scar being one of them.

The five of them walked the streets, following Katara. Zuko kept his ears open to the buzz of the town, incase he should hear something about what was going on in the capital. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small figure dressed in royal red and gold flash by. He looked around warily, his heart beat increasing slightly, hoping it wasn't who he thought it was. However, their little excursion went smoothly without interruptions, and they all began their journey back to their camp, when they heard someone call Zuko's name.

Slowly, he turned, his fists clenched in trepidation. As he faced the figure who had called out his name, his eyes widened and his eyebrows sprang upwards, his mouth agape. He saw nothing but the girl in front of him, and her honey eyes that their father crooned over so often. She stood confidently on the edge of the town, hands folded behind her back, and a cruel smile on the corner of her lips.

Zula.

_Shit._

_----------------------------------_

My head hurts from school. I'm so sorry if this sucks. And sorry if it's going to slowly.. you know if you have suggestions to make it less suckish go right ahead.. I could use some help. (most likely not with the overall plot though, as I have that planned out.)

-humbly yours, ai

btw.. you all see the short preview for next season? Looks intenseee.


	8. Fighting For Whom?

AN: You might remember that in the very beginning I said Aang was 13.. well, for my own purposes, everyone is one year older. Mk?

damn you disclaimer.. I do not own A:TLA, here, nor in chapter seven where I forgot the stupid thing. Honestly.. isn't it obvious I don't own the show! It's not like I'm pretending I do..

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 8: Fighting For Who?

The others noticed Zuko had stopped walking, and turned around themselves. Iroh squinted, shading his eyes from the sunlight, but there could be no mistake as to the figure's identity.

Sokka, Aang and Katara just looked from Iroh's face to Zuko's, and then to the girl standing opposite them in confusion. Katara tensed with the realization that something was wrong, Zuko and his Uncle weren't reacting how she'd supposed they'd act if they met firebenders. Something was very wrong.

The figure then sauntered towards them, confidently holding her head up and smirking victoriously at her brother.

"Why am I not surprised?" She looked at the little ragged troupe up and down, and her ruby lips curved upwards maliciously. "I always knew you were too soft, too _weak, _to remain loyal to the Firenation; and here you are, standing right beside the Avatar- and you're probably teaching him firebending no less!" She paused, letting all she had said sink in to her brother's ears. Zuko was frozen in his place, ready to erupt in anger, fire roiling within him; but he could not expose himself. No matter what he said to Zula, he knew she was here for two reasons: To capture the Avatar, and arrest Iroh and himself. He must remain silent. His nails dug into the palms of his hands, his jaw was set and he clenched his teeth to keep himself from shouting, yelling, attacking her. "You know brother, I didn't expect to find anything of great value in this little excuse for a town, but I stopped by to pick up supplies just in case; and would you imagine my luck!" She slowly began circling them. "Not only do I find the Avatar, but you and dear Uncle Iroh as well!" Her gaze was that of a hawk, ready to snatch up it's prey. "Now if you'll just come quietly, all of you, I won't have to kill anyone..."

"What? There's ONE of you and five of us, and you expect of to come quietly?" Sokka blurted out.

"Uh, Sokka.." Aang tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the Firenation guards that had circled around them from a slight distance, cutting off any escape.

Zuko now had a choice to make. He could tell his sister his plan, let her capture the Avatar and turn himself in, or he could fight with Aang and Katara against her and her guards for freedom. Either way was a sacrifice.. but fighting _with_ the Avatar? That went against everything he had stood for his entire life.. he would be fighting his _own nation.. it wouldn't be the first time.. _he thought as he remembered Zhao.

But it was his sister. Jealousy can make a person to funny things. Her taunting words enveloped him, and mocked him. Zula would not have the triumph of returning to their father with the Avatar- right from his grasp. No, that was not an option. He would not let her be victorious; she had always won in their childhood sparring games- she had won at everything. She always did everything right to please their father.. this time she would be the one to hang her head in shame!

Katara, Aang and Sokka waited, frozen, apprehensive of what this situation could lead to. Would Zuko betray them? Had he been deceiving them all along, and was he now going to hand the Avatar over without a second thought? Katara's heart raced at the thought of this, her eyes narrowing into a deadly gaze at the back of Zuko's head. If he betrayed them (which, although it seemed improbable because of _his_ situation, was still a distinct possibility) she would make sure he wouldn't live to tell about it.

"So what will it be? Are you foolish enough to challenge me? To fight me? You can't beat me Zuko, you know you can't, you're just not good enough-"

As quickly as Zuko had attacked her, Zula with still more agility evaded the stream of fury-invoked fire, and paused for a minute, laughing at the shock in Zuko's face. She knew that he had not expected her to avoid the attack with such ease and grace. "So this is what you have chosen? So be it.. but the weight of your death will be on your shoulders, as you chose to fight me!" She snarled, her beautiful, clean face contorting into a wild cat's roar of fury, her royal elegance lost as she threw all her power into her attacks on Zuko. Chaos immediately ensued- it wasn't long before Zuko and Zula had separated themselves from the rest of the bunch and were battling mercilessly, each driven by their own insane desires. Aang, who had much more power now that he had three elements under his control completely, was able to repel and attack multiple Fire Nation Guards. Katara, a master of water, was involved with two at the moment, though she knew she couldn't hold that pace for very long. Sokka was fighting with great skill and force, his Omashuian teachers had taught him well. Iroh- a great proficient, easily took out three Guards in but a few minutes; but the number of Guards was a problem. It was five to about 15, odds that were not in the little groups favor. It was midday, and the firebenders used that to their full advantage. But in their own world, almost, Zuko and Zula were locked in a battle. Zula; quick, smart, and on the verge of becoming a master, knew the element of fire to it's very core. She _was_ fire; the rage and passion burning within her very soul. She was unforgiving, cruel, and yet oddly entrancing; and she was so young, only sixteen years of age. She fought with the skill and knowledge of a great master, but she had her weaknesses too. Her youth and temper often led to rash decisions, and she was easily frustrated. Zuko, though similarly afflicted, had spent a great deal of the two years aboard ship meditating, working on his patience. It showed. Zula sent fire flowing from her feet, and fists toward her brother in numerous sequential attacks, swooping and curving her body around artfully to give the fire greater force, her deep breathing fueling her. Zuko blocked what he could and dodged what he couldn't, leaving him singed in various places. He attacked when Zula paused for just a moment, sending the strongest blast of orange death to her that he could possibly muster, willing himself not to give up. Thus locked in this fighting dance for life and victory, they were oblivious to all else.

It was midday. The cruel summer sun smiled upon the opposing firebenders, and Katara was running out of water. Breathless fear began to creep into her thoughts, but her eyes showed now sign of weakness. Panicking in her mind, she knew she had to get near a source of water if she was going to stay alive. Immediately she thought of the stream. If she could run fast enough to get to the stream, she knew she could draw a few guards after her, thus leaving fewer to attack Aang, and as a plus, she could dispatch them when she was surrounded by her element. Besides thinking of all this, she thought of Zuko. _He was fighting on their side._

Aang saw Katara run into the woods, and wanted to follow her, but he was preoccupied with the firebenders fighting him. His typical tactic was to evade attacks, wearing his enemy out, but this wasn't what was needed now. He needed to be aggressive.

Sweat poured from his temples, wetting his gray hair. He was old- there was no denying it. But he kept fighting, fighting the very country he had served under for so many years, and he wondered where this would get him.

Zula's perseverance did not waiver for one second. Relentlessly she threw fire at her brother, almost tasting victory. She, like an animal, could sense his fear, could sense his weakening.

She ran, streaming through the trees like her own element, fluidly leaping over rocks and protruding tree branches. Her legs stretched out and carried her fast to the water, like a graceful deer she flew. She blinked past the tall arching trees, with their bright green leaves above her head, shading her little from the torturous sun. Sweat began to cascade down her face, her breathing turned ragged, as she could hear the pumping, clomping steps of the Firenation soldiers behind her. Luckily, their heavy uniforms weighed them down considerably, and she gratefully blessed her thin worn clothing, flying loosely about her, hindering her little. As she drew deeper into the woods, she realized she couldn't lead them straight to the campsite, that would just be a stupid thing to do; so she began weaving her way around it, hoping she could still find her bearings. She was tiring.

Searing hot fire overwhelmed his face and chest, knocking him backwards onto the trashed ground. Zuko was tiring too. Quickly, he picked himself up and with heavy arms, continued battling his sister, who seemed almost mechanical in her maneuvers. She was a machine, efficient in every way, bending fire to her will with precise control, submitting it to her desire. She manipulated it to it's full potential to destroy.

The fights raged on, all benders (and Sokka) keeping themselves going with gritty determination, knowing the full weight of what they were fighting for. Sokka had managed to take down two, and was working on his third. Iroh put four down, and was tiring quickly, fighting another. Aang fought two more, and two were after Katara. In total, eight enemies down and seven to go, Zula being one of them. Iroh, Sokka, Aang, Katara and Zuko were all wearing down fast, all unsure of how much more they could fight.

She could hear it! Her ears detected a light gurgle! She followed the sound as best she could, and was relieved when she found the water. Splashing into it, she turned round to face her to pursuers, a serious look on her face. It would take all the strength she could summon from her body to beat these two, but she knew she had to do it.

"Surrender to me now, Zuko, and maybe I'll spare you!" Zula shot at him between her attacks.

Zuko, his brow furrowed in concentration, made no reply. His hatred towards her was multiplying exponentially with every passing second, his determination on showing her what he was capable of was growing. She needed badly to be put in her place. This silent fury built up within him, and a rush of adrenaline fueled his next wild attacks on her. He thought he saw a hint of fear in her eyes...

She didn't like to kill, but she had no choice. Wrapping the two guards in long ropes of water, she dragged their heads beneath the surface of the stream, cutting off their air supply. She turned her head away as they flailed helplessly, their cries muffled out by the water. As soon as their bodies went limp, she released the water's hold on them, and hurried back to the rest of them, running as fast as her legs would carry her.

Five to go. Sokka, Iroh and Aang, all exhausted, fought with what strength they had left. Sokka managed to knife another, leaving four against three, until Iroh collapsed. Yes, he was a great bender, but he was old too.

Zuko didn't notice his uncle's fall, as all his focus remained on Zula. He would win. He must win. _I will win._

Blood and burned earth mixed together, creating a horrible tapestry on the ground. Footprints of fighting dance-steps were sprawled among the pieces of churned up grass and rock. Both Aang and Sokka saw Iroh fall, but could do nothing to help, each of them now battling two guards.

Aang then saw Katara run back into view from the woods, and called out to her.

"Katara!"

She immediately saw Iroh's body on the ground, and went to help him. Aang knocked out three more guards with his now superior earthbending skills, leaving one. Sokka and Aang circled him, and then, with the energy they had left, brought him down.

An ear-piercing shriek brought all of their attentions to Zuko and Zula once more. Zuko had somehow, against all reason, caught her off guard, and he delivered one last blow to her, before he collapsed.

Iroh's knees had merely given out on him, he said, as Katara helped the old man stand up. They surveyed what they had just done.

Bodies of guards lay scattered on the earthy, scorched and bloody ground, their limbs splayed out at odd angles, like in some tableauic interpretive dance.

Katara then spotted Zuko, unconscious on the ground. Her stare at him was of the most confused nature.. only a few hours before she had looked at him with the utmost contempt and distrust. He had fought on their side, defending Aang, defending them. She had supposed he'd turn on them and let them be captured. It was in deed a strange look that Katara gave Zuko, only he was unconscious, and therefor was not able to appreciate it. Had he been awake, he would have smiled, because now, his plan was definitely on it's way to working.

Carefully, she rolled him over on to his back, examining the various burns and injuries he had received from his ruthless sister. Her immediate instinct was to heal, and heal she did.

The three original companions stood over Zuko, gazing in wonder at the choice he had made. None of them had had the time to question his choice as the fighting started so quickly. They had only had the time to defend themselves; and as they stared at Zuko in wonderment, Iroh spotted his niece on the ground. Only he went over to examine the extent of her wounds. He smiled sadly, his old eyes squinting as he saw a drop of blood trickle from the corner of her mouth.

Iroh stayed with Zula, who was holding on to her life dearly, as the trio picked up Zuko (with much difficulty, and complaining on Sokka's part) and carried him back to their camp. All of them needed medical attention, Zuko especially. They didn't call Zula a firebending prodigy for nothing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, there it is. I wasn't exactly sure how to approach a fighting scene.. I wish I could be more descriptive. (At least I didn't say, "and then Katara used the water whip!"). Thanks to all of you who have been supportive of this fic thus far.. stick with me here because I have many chapters to go.. :)

my apologies if the Zutara is taking too long.. I don't want to rush it, because the last thing I want to happen is for them to suddenly and inexplicably fall for each other.. this is will be as realistically timed as I can possibly make it. (I have a timeline thing for this.. so yea). It's not going to be all mushy in a sense where Katara is all... "I love you, Zuko!" At least, they won't be expressing it in those words, or in words at all. Hopefully when I get there I'll be able to convey their emotions through indirect stuff.. but I gotta warn ya it's going to get darker as the story goes on..

New Season... TODAY! 8D

-ai


	9. A Few Moments

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Katara hunched up on a flat rock next to her stream and frowned, scrunching her nose up. Zuko had put her in a situation she didn't want to be in. She had resolved not to trust him; and now, a day after the fight she was questioning herself. By all rights, Zuko should have handed Aang over to the Firenation. **This was what should have happened.** She had torn her mind apart over why in the world he wouldn't want Aang to be captured, whether by himself or not; it still would've been by his nation. Sitting there in the quiet, she turned the idea over in her head until the snap of a twig interrupted her inner ramblings. Raising her head, she was mildly surprised to find she was no longer alone. Zuko stood before her. She remained silent, not wanted to exchange words with him yet, not exactly trusting what might come out of her mouth- lest it be another insult. They glared, each looking the other directly in the eye, and time slowed, thickening like molasses. Fire flickered in Zuko's eyes and water rolled in Katara's, and for each of them, perfectly still, it seemed hard to breath. The air felt heavy and moldable, yet charged by the electricity of their eyes. Silence crackled between them, the air buckling under the weight of the two young people, who only had nerves to look at each other. No words passed between them, and as quickly as he had appeared, Zuko left, silently trekking further into the forest.

Yet another unsettling moment she had shared with the prince. Shuddering off the strange meeting like a chill, she went back to her pondering. She wasn't exactly sure if she ought to be even more suspicious of him now, because how could he ever want to fight _with_ the Avatar _against_ his sister? She gazed into the stream, watching ripples pass through her face in the water, waving across her reflection. She sat, entranced, for a while, and eventually all thoughts of the present were pushed from her head. Minutes passed. Sometimes her distracted ears heard a bird chirp, a bush rustle with a small animal. Night descended around her, the warm dark blue scent of summer drawing around her like a curtain. Eventually, her thoughts gently floated back to immediately after their encounter with Azula..

-----f-l-a-s-h-b-a-c-k---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She had to get water, and quickly. Pounding through the forest, her footsteps sounded out as a rush of racing feet, tapping the ground like rain. She hurriedly bended more water into her two water-skins and again returned to camp.

Zuko was still unconscious, laying on the ground, and Aang had some pretty nasty injuries. Sokka was in even worse condition, scratched and burned in numerous places. Iroh then entered their encampment carrying Azula.

What? Why had he brought her? _She'd just tried to capture and/or kill all of them!_

But she was family. She saw Iroh bend down over her, with a saddened look in his usually twinkling eyes. She wondered how Zuko would react to his sister's death, especially as he had been the cause of it.

Tearing her eyes from the elderly man and his niece, she began to work her healing on Aang's injuries. She took a deep breath, and with her hands glowing with water, she healed what she could. She then turned to her brother, and although he was somewhat hesitant at first ("Oh no, you are not going to heal ME with that weird magic of yours!") he finally gave in. Begrudgingly she then turned her attention to Zuko, who was still unconscious. This was a good thing, in her opinion. This way, he wouldn't make a fuss over her, a lowly peasant, touching him. In fact, she almost didn't want to lay a hand on him. Part of her wanted him to die a horrible, drawn out death; but another part of her (the more reasonable part) recognized what he had done by turning against his own nation and family. The real question was, why had he done it?

Never mind. The important thing was, that he had in fact done it.

She dipped her hands into the silky water, and placed them on a fierce looking burn on Zuko's arm. Closing her eyes, she concentrated, and the water glowed a brilliant blue as the burn faded. Pausing for a moment, she stared at his face, looking at his scar, unsure of what she really thought anymore. What did she see? She saw a Fire Prince; conceited, haughty and destructive. She saw the ruler of a great Nation, one that threatened to swallow up the world, and all it's different cultures, and blend them into one bewildered mass. She saw the destroyer of her family, a man that represented all her hatred.

But she also saw a boy, not too much older than herself, one that had gone through as many hardships as she.

Abruptly, she was then snapped from her musings by the sound of Zuko talking to her.

"What are you doing?" A hoarse voice whispered.

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to ignore the disgust in his voice that he didn't bother to hide.

"I'm healing your injuries." She replied tersely, avoiding his gaze until he spoke again.

"What?"

She looked up, and found him looking at her questioningly. He caught her eye, and for one second she felt what might have been called pity. Banished from his home, fighting his own sister, he had looked at her incredulously at the mere thought of someone actually helping him. Yes, she helped him, of all people, the one who she wanted to kill while she healed him. Such were her sentiments, split raggedly down the middle, all fueled by the ever burning question: was he trustworthy?

Zuko didn't speak another word as Katara healed him; whether it was out of gratitude or contempt Katara couldn't tell. Once she had finished, he gave no thanks, but simply watched her walk away.

Zuko stared at her back as she strode quickly away from him, exceedingly puzzled. He had seen her treat him with contempt, and utter hatred and mistrust, and fight furiously against his Nation. And yet, she had put that aside and healed him. He couldn't help but believe she was up to something, and anger began to creep over his senses again, his eyes narrowing. His bad temper, however, was somewhat contained by his lack of energy, and therefor Katara was saved a yelling match which surely would have taken place, had he had more strength.

Iroh then noticed his nephew had regained consciousness, and walked slowly over to him. Kneeling down, he looked at Zuko for a moment, before telling him his sister was dead.

He wasn't upset, not outwardly anyway. He told his uncle in a muttering growl, "that bitch deserved it." Nevertheless, his face tensed slightly and he attempted to get up from his sprawled out position. Finding he couldn't, he settled for glaring at anyone who so much as passed in front of him.

Katara, after healing as much as she could with the energy she had left, collapsed, falling onto Appa's soft fur. Sleep soon washed over her, a comfort from the blood, fire and hate that had filled the day, the remains of it still drifting like smoke in the air.

------------------e-n-d-f-l-a-s-h-b-a-c-k------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Katara. Katara!" Shaking herself back into the present, she saw Aang looking at her. It was almost completely dark now, but she could still discern his worried expression. "Are you eating at all? Iroh made a Firenation meal for us."

"I guess." She replied rather absentmindedly as she slipped down from her rock. She followed Aang back, but all the while she couldn't help but think; _he fought with us. _It was a plaguing idea that refused to leave her, and day and night from that evening on, that thought lay curled up in the back of her mind, always ready to present itself to her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two weeks had now gone by. Aang was still making very little progress in Firebending, as he seemed to have formed a mental block against it. Katara tried to help him, but it wasn't doing much good. Iroh had resorted to teaching Aang, as Zuko got too frustrated that Aang just wasn't getting it. Sokka was a little worried that Aang wasn't doing well, and kept reminding them they had a time limit to defeat the Fire Lord, which made Zuko tense up and glare at Sokka; and it took all of his self restraint to keep from attacking him. Luckily this went unnoticed by either Sokka, Aang or Katara; for if one of them had noticed (namely Katara) she would have reverted back to her "make one wrong move and I will KILL you" frame of mind. As it was, she began to trust Zuko ever so slightly. The overwhelming thought of him fighting against his own Nation was very striking, and she couldn't help but think that perhaps he had a bit of decency in him after all.

His sister was dead, and his father had sent her to capture both him and the Avatar. He and his uncle were officially wanted men in the Firenation. Now, they really didn't have much of a choice but to stay. Technically, his quest for the Avatar was over, but Zuko wouldn't let himself believe that. He held on strongly to the idea that if he brought home the Avatar, his father would welcome him back. This was the reality which Zuko created for himself; but at the same time, he wondered about what he was doing now. He was teaching the Avatar the element that would complete his training and defeat his father, and a very very small part of him was bitterly happy with that. But that part was far overshadowed by his longing to return home, even if it was a home empty of comfort. Zuko shifted in his seat under a tree, staring hard into the dirt, as if looking for the answers to his questions.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Streaming the water up and around her head, she swirled it tightly into a ball, which she then hardened into ice, and pulled a string of water out from it; forming a rope of water, with an attached ball of ice. Swinging it around her, she smiled satisfactorily, pleased with her new trick. Relaxing her stance and letting the water pour back into the stream, she folded her hands and breathed deeply, her cheeks flushed from the exercise. She had been bending for the past half hour, and it showed. She sat down on her rock, pulled out her hair and re-did her braid; then she stretched out, and fell into a gentle sleep.

A few minutes later, Zuko walked into the clearing by the stream, wanting to get some water, and he saw her. He glared, and looked at her somewhat disgustedly, quickly getting a sip to drink, then pausing to look at her for a moment. In a flash when he saw her hand draped over the rock into the rushing stream, he remembered her healing him. He lingered one more moment, just looking at her, as though trying to remember something. Then, as if shocked by lightning, he started and hastily walked back into the forest, leaving her. Being alone with her wasn't something he was comfortable with.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally! She was off that stupid boat. Whisking through the streets of the Firenation Capital, she reached the city's gateway. She demanded entrance, stating she had important news for the Fire Lord. They let her pass, more out of fear than anything else. She wound her way through the buzzing alleys and streets, finally sighting the Palace, surrounded by immense stretches of land and bordered by gates. Stating her business in a low mumble to one of the guards, he nodded and let her pass, motioning to another guard to escort her into the royal palace. Entering the room which held Lord Ozai himself, she kneeled on the ground in front of him.

"Lord Ozai, I have found retired General Iroh your brother, and Prince Zuko. They are traveling with the Avatar. I saw them together in a small coastal town outside of Omashu."

"And I thought they could sink no lower." He sneered, the fire that surrounded his throne flaring up, and roaring, emitting stinging sparks.

"Very well, the guard will give you the money on the way out." He paused again. "You haven't seen my daughter, Azula, have you?"

"No, my Lord, I did not have the fortune to meet her." Jun replied, fighting to keep the flattering tone in her voice. She was in this for the money, not to grovel to the pleasure of the Fire Lord.

"Very well. You are dismissed."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes: So, the five of them have spent a grand total of two weeks together. (Only two weeks, 9 chapters.. I have 10-11 more weeks to cover.. :D) Azula is dead, along with all the other firebender guards they fought. They had to kill them, because if they didn't, they'd report back to other guards and then find them again.. you know.. so they're all dead now.

The section where it says.. two weeks.. etc.. where Katara does her bending move, that's the day of the two weeks together. Starting from that point on is the next day I'm writing, so the next chapter will be a continuation of this day. Ya?

I TOTALLY made that waterbending move up. I don't even know if it's possible, and if it's not.. well... it's fan_fiction_! Yea.. I put in some mini-Zutara like moments.. nothing big at ALL, but, it's the most I can do at this point in the story.. please tell me if their 'relationship' ceases to be realistic, like if I make it go too quickly.

As for the Cave of Two Lovers.. I am in denial that they will kiss! They won't! So there!

Also Important: In this story, it takes around two weeks to get from the coast of the land-mass that Aang is currently on, to the capital of the Firenation, by boat. I don't know how accurate that is, but that's what I made it. Mmk?

Shorter chapter, I know.

-ai


	10. Eye to Eye

Disclaimer: Still don't own it. Check back after i've conquered the world, maybe then... deception was their downfall

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She groaned, rubbing her sore back. How long had she been asleep on that rock? Lifting herself up, she moved into a sprawled sitting position for a minute, collecting herself before returning to camp. It had been exactly two weeks (not that she was counting) of living with Zuko and his uncle. After some vehement mutterings about the whiny Prince, she quickly re-plated her hair, and gathered her scattered things to leave.

Hmm. Where was everyone? Eyeing the camp warily, no grinning flashes of orange and yellow or sulky blue forms greeted her. Zuko's uncle seemed to be out too, which left only-

"Enjoy your nap?"

Only one person she knew of had a tone that icy; and ironically he was a firebender.

"What is it Zuko? Cranky because you haven't had your din-din yet? I suppose you would be a bit spoiled, living in a palace all your life, with servants at your call, ready to make you exquisite meals whenever you wish it!"

"My hunger has nothing to do with it. The sight of you alone is quite enough." He rumbled.

Tensing and seething inwardly, she resisted the urge to punch his nose in. Why did he always give her the urge to tear out each hair from her head? Unable to think of a reply, she clambered around banging the pots and utensils, and cursing when she remembered she needed him to start a fire.

--------------------------

Ploink. Ploink. Ploink.

"Hey... Aang?"

"Yea Sokka?"

"Could you cut that out? I'm trying to nap here."

"Right, sorry." He flung one last pebble into the stream (ploink!) and settled down under a tree. Waiting for Iroh to wake up from his nap was awfully boring. The man grunted and rolled about in his sleep, using a bush for a pillow.

Sighing again, Aang whirled chunks of earth silently in the air with his fingers for a while, till his eyelids began fluttering shut. It was a gorgeous evening, the kind filled with warm lazy air, laden with the aroma of flowers... and that tree was mighty comfortable...

--------------------------------

Well, dammit she could start the fire herself. Grabbing two dry pieces of kindling, Katara vigorously rubbed them together, trying in vain to create a spark. She paused momentarily to heal her raw and bleeding hands; and of course to narrow her eyes in a certain someone's direction. If she did manage to get the fire going, he'd be on his own for food tonight...

Ten minutes and a few more healing sessions later, Katara sat contentedly near the sparkling fire, roasting vegetables on a stick. Smugly, she made a show of eating and savoring the food, glancing often in Zuko's direction to see how he reacted.

_Bitch._

Arms folded and tucked tensely to his sides, Zuko glared pointedly at the ground, determined to ignore the girls obvious attempts to rile him.

He **should** notice how she was eating and he wasn't, dammit!

_Doesn't she ever give it a rest? Can't she leave me in peace-_

"Zuko, aren't you hung-"

Flat on her back with a very pissed firebender standing next to her, she reconsidered her ploy to piss the living daylights out of him. Perhaps that was not so wise. Swallowing her food with as much dignity as possible, she fixed two very angry eyes on him.

"_What_ was that for?"

"For taunting me," Zuko replied, turning his back and walking to his favorite spot under the tree.

Springing up with the ease and quickness of a tiger-bear, she drew a rope of water from her flask and wrapped it around his ponytail, tugging him backwards so he fell with a less than graceful crash onto the dirt.

Now she stood triumphantly over him, smirking at his astonished face. He looked so surprised, his eyebrows might've flown clear off his forehead.

"That," Zuko growled, pausing, "was the wrong move."

Kicking her feet from under her, Zuko pushed himself up into a fighting stance as she fell. He didn't wait for her to rise again, but stood over her face, ready to let loose flames from his shaking fist. Katara rolled sideways, and stood up in a flash, whipping around streams of water like chains; but Zuko used a free hand to spew burning fire directly at that face of hers.

Dropping her water ropes and bringing up a thin wall of liquid to protect her face, she realized that fighting Zuko without a substantial supply of water around was not a good idea; but she couldn't just let him win! Rushing towards him, she smiled inwardly at the utter shock that again graced his features as she tackled him with all her weight. Quickly getting up again, and preparing for retaliation, she vaguely wondered where Aang and Sokka had gotten to.

----------------------------------------

Aang opened his eyes, feeling refreshed and ready to continue firebending; except it was already nighttime! Shaking Sokka and Iroh awake, he rubbed his forehead, wondering why he'd slept for so long; then suddenly bristling as he realized the people who remained alone at the camp.

_Aaggh! We gotta go before Zuko and Katara kill each other!_

Speeding ahead of the other two on his air-scooter, Aang burst into camp to find Zuko and Katara in a full-out wrestling/yelling match.

"GET OFF ME YOU JERK!" She yelled shrilly while attempting to bite his shoulder.

"Perhaps you shouldn't tackled me then, bitch!"

"Perhaps I wouldn't have if you weren't such an ASS to begin with! I was only trying to knock some MANNERS into you-"

"Manners?" He scoffed. "And what would _you_ know about manners?"

They rolled shamelessly about on the ground, gathering dirt as their anger increased.

"More than you, bastard! I'll bet your mother never even-"

"LEAVE her OUT of this!" Zuko screamed and clutched Katara's neck, igniting his palm and holding it dangerously near to her face. She could see the smoke drifting from his hands, encircling his eyes, now glowing horribly from the lit fire. She glared right back.

"ZUKO!' His uncle's huffy voice reprimanded, before Aang even had the chance to react.

Pausing, and slowly releasing his hold on her neck, Zuko stood and backed away, his eyes burning furiously.

"I could've handled it myself, thank you!" She barked as she stood up to tidy her self off, then angrily brushed past Iroh.

_Bitch._

_Bastard._


	11. An Important Move

I Don't own Avatar.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You know Katara, maybe you should be a little more tolerant." Aang lazed back on a mossy tree, his teeth clenched on a long blade of grass that he'd long since given up trying to whistle with. He looked pretty carefree for someone who had yet to master Firebending.

Katara sat across from him, cross-legged on a small patch of smooth summer grass and sewing patches on their clothing. She remained quiet for a moment, before speaking hesitantly.

"I'm trying my best Aang, but I can't trust people as easily as you can. Zuko hasn't given much support for his 'I'm trustworthy now because I teach the Avatar Firebending,' act." She raised her head to stare across camp at Zuko, who lay sleeping on a rock.

She shifted around as she looked at him, and stabbed the fabric a little more violently than necesary.

Aang's eyes floated around a bit, staring up and the leaves and branches, finally resting on Zuko. He frowned momentarily, bringing his eyebrows together in thought.

"He's in a pretty bad situation too, if you think about it. He's a wanted man in the Fire Nation, just like me; and for Zuko it's even worse, because his pursuers are his own _family._" Katara thought she heard a note of sadness in the Avatar's voice when he said the word family.

_Afterall, Aang doesn't know what it's like to have a real mother and father, or siblings even. I'll bet he can't imagine how painful it would feel to have your sister and father chasing after you with such hatred. I don't ever want to think about Sokka despising me that much, I mean, truely hating me.. _Katara smiled at him.

"It's not that I don't see your point, but for whatever reason, there's something about his eyes I don't like."

Another voice interrupted the conversation.

"I wouldn't make a habit out of staring at Zuko's face, if I were you. He's very sensitive about his scar." Iroh groggily raised himself from the ground and nodded in Katara's direction. "You know what his temper is like. Just be careful you don't provoke it."

After giving his words of wisdom he lumbered off, most likely to hunt for tea leaves.

"Anyway, just remember the Fire Nation is after him too."

"There's another thing I wanted to talk about- the Fire Nation." Katara sighed lightly, and breathed in the flowery air before continuing. "I think we should change camp; I know we killed all of the soldiers that found us here, but it won't take long for more to find us. I suggest we move further down the coastline, even if just a few miles. We have to make sure we stay hidden."

Aang hummed for a moment, chewing the grass; and made a face very reminiscent of Appa.

Katara continued. "We've got nothing to lose by moving; we can travel at night, sleep during the day, and stay in the forests as much as possible."

"I guess so, he replied, nodding and begining to lift himself off the ground to brush all the dirt from his clothes. "When should we leave?"

"As soon as we can, there's no sense in staying any longer. We really should have moved camp as soon as Azula died, we weren't thinking clearly I guess. All of us have been too relaxed lately, as if no one is on our tails, chasing us in order to capture you." Katara sprung up and began rustling about, gathering various utensils and blankets that'd scattered themselves across the grounds, and packing them into her bags.

"Sokka, go wake Zuko up."

"What? Why me?" Sokka had been stretched flat on the ground, shaded by a small tent of huge leaves and comfortably resting.

"Because Katara and I are busy packing up, and I have to go find Appa. He wandered into the woods again."

Sokka snorted casually. "Why don't you just use the bison whistle?"

"Oh, right. But you still have to go get Zuko." Aang pulled the bison whistle from the folds of his cloak and blew, and after about a minute, a rumbling Appa-growl was heard from the trees. "Appa!" Aang laughed and jumped onto his pet, spreading his arms in a hug.

Sokka just grumbled and stalked over to Zuko.

_Great, I get to wake Zuko up. He's probably dreaming about killing someone, and when he sees my face he's gonna want to kill me. Just great._

In a rather annoyed manner, Sokka tapped the prince on the shoulder. "Zuko, wa-"

"There's no need, I'm awake," Zuko answered cooly as he rolled over and sat up, rubbing his head.

"Have you been awake this whole ti-"

"No, I woke up when Katara suggested we change camps." After standing up, he took a few minutes to gather his things and then went and sat silently by the growing pile of baggage.

Sokka stared blankly at the rock Zuko had been sleeping on. _Is it me, or does he seem a bit.. subdued?_

"I think we've got everything here, Aang." Katara counted the bags and blankets, making mental notes of the numbers for later use. She glanced around, searching for Iroh and Sokka.

Katara's eyes then found Zuko, who continued to sit placidly by the pile, calm and cool. It was funny how even when he wasn't in a rage, he could rile her.

_What is it with him? Yesterday we were fit to kill each other and now he's silent as stone. _

However, today he did seem tranquil (if that would ever could be used to describe him), and she remembered what Aang had said earlier. Perhaps, just perhaps, she was taking the wrong approach by treating him with hostile suspicion. Instead, maybe she ought to try and accept his seeming change of heart- or at least pretend to. After all, he hadn't killed them yet.

"This is the last of everything. Sokka, load this up onto Appa."

"No need, Katara!" Aang flipped his wrists, and bended up a flat tablet of dirt underneath the pile of bags, and levitated it over Appa's back. Sticking his tongue out in concentration, he gradually tilted the tablet downward, sliding the bags off and onto Appa's fur with soft plops.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Katara looked on incredulously at Aang's accomplishment. "And why haven't you ever done that before?"

"Just picked it up, I guess," he said with a shrug.

"Now where did we decide to go, exactly?"

"Let's get on Appa, first, and then pull out the maps."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"No, Sokka, LISTEN to me, we need to find a place with water!"

"Why? So you can Waterbend?"

"No, to drink you idiot!"

"But a town would have water!"

"YES, WATER THAT IS MOST LIKELY IN THE WOODS, LIKE A STREAM OR SOMETHING!"

"Why don't we fly inland a little more, and stop in this area, it's bordered by hills and a forest, and there's a town a few miles away, which means it's very likely there's water near by."

Katara nodded. "I agree with Zuko." Katara pointed at the spot on the map in question, motioning Aang to have a look. "Here, which means we need to bear East a little bit."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few hours later, night had fallen upon the five, and soon only Aang, Zuko and Iroh lay awake under the stars. However, Aang was preoccupied with playing about on Appa's head with Momo, so Iroh and Zuko were free to speak in guarded whispers.

"Zuko, why are we flying inland? We're going further from the Fire Nation. Why did you not suggest we head closer to the coastline, and further south?"

"They're not idiots, Uncle. They know very well the location of the Fire Nation Capital, and the minute I suggest we travel towards the coastline, Katara will suspect. Plus, there's bound to be more Firebenders on the coast than inland, merely because of ships and trading and supplies, I'm watching our necks as well as keeping their suspicions low."

"I seemed to have underestimated you, then. Very well, but what happens next? You know eventually if you still want to capture him, you'll have to get close to the Fire Nation, right?"

"What do you mean, still?" Zuko stared hard at his uncle, trying desperately to read his piercing look in the faint starlight. "You talk almost as if you wish I would give up my goal." Zuko whispered.

"You know what I have said, Zuko: the Fire Lord does not forgive easily."

"I am his son." Zuko, his face set with unflinching confidence, turned his head from his uncle's eyes.

"And I, am his brother. Family means little to him." Iroh sighed and settled back again, gazing upwards at the clouds rushing past, ending the night's conversation.

How had his uncle known that doubt had begun to permeate through his thoughts, in fact, his very dreams? The change to Zuko felt sudden, but to his observant uncle, it was nothing but gradual wearing away.

_What does he mean by telling me that father will not forgive? Is he trying to sway me away from my father's desires? He's no fool, though I often call him one, he must have some meaning for it; but what? What does he know that I don't? _Zuko shifted around on the rough fur, twisting on to his back to feel comfortable. Light snoring indicated his uncle has drifted off, and he was left alone, awake, with the Avatar. Now was a good a chance as any, so why did he remain motionless and pensive, ignoring the countless opportunities fickle life had presented to him, shunting them away with the excuse that the time wasn't right? _There's still time. Better opportunities than now will come._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Dawn's gentle lights melted over the approaching hilltops, waking the sleeping five from a good rest.

Aang yawned his drowsiness away, peering ahead at the green hills and trees. "Katara, I think this is it."

"Looks to be, but we should stop anyway, people are going to notice us now that it's morning."

"Right." Appa glided down out of the air, touching down in a small cleared area, cut through by a brook and enclosed by thousands of birch trees.

"This is a good place." Aang noted as he slid down Appa's nose onto the ground, and looked about. "We've got everything we need right here!"

"Perfect, a stream so I can practice Waterbending and everything." Katara too dismounted, and began to set down her packs before heading over to the water's edge.

"And so we can drink, right Katara?"

"Look at all this moss- perfect for sleeping on!" Aang plopped down on a generous pile of soft green fuzz, before yelping in horror at the swarm of bugs that paraded out.

"Well, it looks like we've found ourselves great place to live for now- we're protected by both mountains and forest!"

Each began to claim a small portion of the land as his or her or spot to settle down in, and rest for the remainder of the day.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A million thoughts raced through Zuko's head.

_My one objective for the past three years, has been to capture the Avatar, that much is true. During these three years, I have done whatever it takes to try and accomplish that objective, all for one purpose: to see my father again._

_What is it that makes a boy respect and love his father so, even though he is treated like an outsider that does not belong in the family?_

_I always strived to please him, to show what I was capable of, be it in school or in Firebending. I wanted to be acknowledged, like Azula._

_In the back of my mind I knew, and still know, that I was pushed aside for her sake, because she was a Firebending prodigy._

_She was the one to learn advanced tactics while I was still working on the basics- and she was the one to win all the attentions and praise when she mastered them._

_Why is that?_

_What makes her so special? She's the second child after all, generally the firstborns are the ones pampered and treasured._

_He sees right through me, and yet I continue to do my fathers bidding just to gain his affection and pride. How true are his words: "Bring the Avatar back and I shall accept you into our family again."? _

_I know all this, but I still can't get past it; because I care about him. _

_Emotion. The one thing father says we should be without, and yet the one thing a Firebender needs most to control his bending._

_Bending. That's all Azula can do, is Firebend. I will admit she is a genius, yes; but in instead of a heart she has fire._

_What would I rather have?_

_Compassion, or talent; and with that talent, my father's adoration?_

_But I don't have compassion anyways. I'm here to capture the Avatar for my own purposes and to finally end the war Sozen started. My father will be a glorious champion in the eyes of the Fire Nation's decedents because of his triumph; and I will inherit his throne, to begin a new reign over the new world._

_But then the question is, how have I not accomplished this feat yet? What has held me back?_

Zuko shifted again, staring up at the trees and recalling every failed attempt with a bitter half-smile.

_There's always something, so it would seem._

_-----_

_What is it with him that unsettles me so? _

_It must be that look in his eye, a hunger, a pain of something missed, something lost; and of something desired._

_I almost feel like asking him- but no. He'd never tell me, and why should he? We aren't friends, we barely tolerate each other, and most of the time I hate his very presence; but that's only because I don't trust him. With our current situation, I can't trust him, for Aang's sake. Someone has to keep a clear head and a watchful eye, and it may as well be me, as I already do anything in my power to make sure Aang can accomplish what he needs to by summer's end. _

_I've been going about it the wrong way, though. Keeping my guard up doesn't mean I have to hate him outwardly, I suppose._

_I can pretend to trust him, and in turn he will trust me, though I will be deceiving him with my falseness._

_Perhaps then, he will let down his guard enough so that I may gather his true intentions, which no doubt revolve around Aang._

_I wonder what he is planning. He sits with such confidence in himself, like he knows something really worth knowing; with a cold look in his eye as if to say, "I dare you to ask me what I know.." But perhaps it is just a facade, the best of us have them to cover our weaknesses._

_I wonder, though, what is Zuko's weakness? Does he have one? He's human, he surely must; be it mental or physical every person has one weak spot within them._

_But how can I learn it, other than by carefully observing him? He knows how to fight, this much is true, but what of his person? He did not seem to hesitate in fighting his sister with all the passion and fury he possessed. If he can turn so cold to his family, then surely he doesn't care much for the well-being of others; yet, his shows a peculiar affection for his uncle.._

_Something is strange about his family, there's no doubt. I believe he said, once, he was trying to regain his honor, for whatever reason._

_If only I could ask him; but he'd never trust to tell me._

_Trust. _

_Such a fragile thing._

The still air of midday did nothing to stir life into the five, and they continued laying in their various positions, nearly dead to the world in sleep or thought. Not even the heat could penetrate their calm, for the numerous birch trees enclosing them provided an excellent canopy, and the rushing water soothed their spirits and throats as needed.

So, silence reigned upon the camp, in a broken, empty sort of way. It felt like one of those days that drags on for ages, stretching time itself till it's thin as a shadow; and it was not until night crept around that the travelers began to stir themselves.

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"Well, nobody from the Fire Nation's found us yet, so I'll take that as a good sign."

Katara huffed. "Don't get ahead of yourself. We've just moved into new territory and there's no telling who will come stumbling across us here. We don't know if this stream is frequented by many people in the nearby towns, or travelers, or what. This could be a gather place for a group of sorts, we don't know!"

"If it were a popular place to visit, there'd be more signs of human life. When we first arrived, I didn't notice anything but animal tracks. It seems like we're pretty safe here."

"Fine, Sokka, but that doesn't mean we're suddenly safe from discovery; we still have to be careful."

"I suppose."

"Where's Aang, by the way?"

"I think with Uncle Iroh, training,"

"And Zuko?"

"Over there by the bush, sulking."

"Great, then I'm going to practice Waterbending."

"And what am I supposed to do?"

"Eat. Sharpen your boomerang, I don't know."

Katara shrugged and removed her shoes and leggings, and stepped into the rushing water. She let it play around her legs lightly, letting it's freedom of movement and cool splashing ease the tension in her body.

_Water is so beautiful, _she mused while bringing waves of water up and down in the air, and making small spheres of it circle around her, before letting them drop gracefully back into the stream.

"I know what you're thinking."

"What?" Katara opened her eyes to look at Zuko, who happened to be staring at her.

"That water is a wonderful element, perhaps the best element to have under one's control."

"It's better than fire, that much is true," she replied placidly.

"Really? And why is that?" Zuko moved forward a little, narrowing his eyes.

"Fire does nothing but destroy." While saying those words she looked directly at him, curious for his reaction.

"That's a lie. Fire destroys only when a bender cannot control himself; and it does more than destroy; it brings life. Not only does it warm us, it cooks our food and gives us light. Tell me, what can water do, compared to fire?

"Water can heal, and water also gives life. A human can live longer without cooked food than it can go without water, and it washes and cleanses; and water also-"

"-Has the power to destroy, does it not?"

"Yes, when used in the wrong ways."

"So they are both vital elements, then." Iroh stepped between the two, and looked them both in the eyes, raising his eyebrows and creasing his forehead. "There is more to each element than perceived at first sight. You would both do well to remember this; because fire and water, although opposites, must learn to work together, just like the sun and the moon; both are vitally important."

His words met with staunch silence.

"Remember that."

Katara turned away from Zuko and stepped out of the water to dry herself off and get ready to sleep. Zuko remained still, and silent.

"It's been a long day, Zuko, we should both get to bed."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dark night fell upon them, with all it's heavy warmth and summer scent. Pressed close by the overwhelming temperatures, no one used a blanket to sleep on, and each removed all the excess clothing possible.

Heat thumped heavily on her chest as she breathed deeply, sweating and panting. Tossing about and trying in vain to sleep, Katara got up to walk around for a bit, and decided to wander in the trees for a while, hoping to calm down.

She wound in and around the white barked trees in the dark, humming softly a tune she'd learnt from her mother long ago; and she soon forgot to pay attention to where she was going, and mistook Zuko for a tree when she grazed lightly against him.

"AUH!"

"SHhhh!"

"What the hell are you doing out here?" She demanded, clenching her fists angrily while her eyebrows furrowed dangerously over her eyes. He'd caught her off guard again, something she always hated. He had the ability to sneak up on people without their noticing, and she hated feeling foolish like that.

"What of it? It's none of your concern where I walk at night." He whispered back sharply, remaining in a wary, poised stance.

She could barely see his pale features in the dark, but he appeared calm enough, just a bit riled. She shifted back, relaxing her body a little. Half of her had expected to be ambushed when she had suddenly bumped into him. _I mean really, who knows? He could pick us off one by one in the dead of night, until only him and Aang are left. _But Zuko remained still.

"I gather you couldn't sleep either?" Katara questioned guardedly, still examining the curious expression on his face.

"I didn't expect anyone to be awake, so I took a walk. I never meant to disturb you," he answered in a deep, serious tone; devoid of any indication of his true thoughts; though his answer seemed genuine enough. Neither used a friendly tone when speaking, but luckily, each kept the fire and hatred out of their voices.

"Of course." Katara never changed the set look on her face, trying to keep calm and stay away from provoking a fight. She continued looking straight at his face, despite what Iroh had said before. Pale face, dark hair, golden circles glared suddenly in the moonlight, revealed from the clouds. _He has such a harsh expression, _she thought.

_Dark hair, tan skin and blue eyes. Nothing special, to be sure; and yet she carries such a temper, it's as if she were a Firebender. _

Long silence stretched between them, before faint, clunking, boot-steps disrupted their stares.

Both crouched low out of instinct, searching for the cause of the noise. Multiple crunches, though still a distance away, penetrated the forest's previous dead silence, and told Zuko and Katara that the company was not of the friendly kind.

"We need to warn Aang and Sokka!" Katara whispered quickly to Zuko.

"We'll both go back."

They crept up quietly, pausing to hear the direction of the noise, and deciding that it came from forward (away from camp) they should run back to the group and leave as soon as possible.

They flew through the forest, ignoring the scratches and slices the branches gave them. It was quite a scene. Two young benders blinking past the white trees, illuminated by the sickly half moon, panting in the overwhelming heat. Their chests rose faster and faster as they sprinted the last leg, eyes wide and sweat pouring down their faces.

_Shit, shit, this is so bad! We can't get ourselves captured, not after we just moved camp! Shit, how is Aang ever going to master Firebending if we can't stay put in one place without being found! We need to get back and get away!_

Katara panted, breathing wildly, her body fatigued from over-excitement.

"Katara MOVE!"

Suddenly everything began to feel better for her, as the her eyes closed and her body slowly crashed to the ground. Blood flowed from the corner of her mouth, but she was no longer able to notice.

"Fuck." Zuko steadied himself, pushing her behind a bush and facing the blood red uniform of the Fire Navy Captain.


End file.
